I
have been reading your blog all year long so when Bella asked if I wanted to do
a Book Talk Tuesday, I was excited to have a chance to share my love of reading
with the third graders! I grew up in a house with a family that loved to read
and that love of reading was definitely passed on to me! I love to read all
kinds of books but I am sure it will not surprise you to know that picture
books are one of my favorite things to read!
One
of my favorite picture book authors and illustrators is Ezra Jack Keats. If he
were still alive, Ezra would turn 100 this year on March 11th. Ezra
was born into a white, Jewish family in Brooklyn and during his time the Army
in 1943, he experienced discrimination based on his religious beliefs. It was
this experience that lead him to write and illustrate books about children with
dark colored skin as the main characters. Up until his books about Peter,
children of color were only depicted in the background of books. I think that
Ezra Jack Keats is a great example of the PYP Action Cycle. He reflected on the
feelings he had when he when he was discriminated against, chose to highlight
others who had suffered similar hardships in his writings and paintings, and he
acted by publishing books with children of color as the main characters.
My favorites of his books are the ones that are about Peter like; The
Snowy Day, A Letter to Amy, Whistle for Willie and Pet Show.
Even
though reading good fit books and challenging yourself as a reader in an
important part of being a lifelong reader, don’t forget the enjoyment, powerful
messages, and ideas that come from reading picture books!
Be good. Be nice. Behave!
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