Overview: Just ASK! and A Boy named Bat explore the differences and uniqueness that children have. A Boy named Bat focuses on a child that has ASD, while Just ASK! gives insight into a range of differences that children may have.
Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You
2020 SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD
Synopsis: Just Ask!, begins by comparing the different needs that plants and trees have to the different needs that children have; like all plants, children are unique individuals that contribute to the richness of the world. Throughout Just Ask!, new characters are introduced on each page to show us the unique differences that everyone has. We are first introduced to a child that has diabetes and needs to check his blood sugar levels because his body doesn't produce insulin. Then we are introduced to a child that has Asthma; a child that uses a wheelchair to get from one place to another; a child that uses a guide dog because they are bling; a child that uses a cane to get from one place to another; a child that uses sign language to communicate because they are deaf; a child that is dyslexic and uses computer programs for reading and writing assistance; a child that has ASD and likes counting, organizing, and speaking; a child that has autism and does not speak; a child that a stutter a gets a little shy but is completely aware of what everyone is saying; a child that wiggles a little because of tourette syndrome, a child with ADHD that moves around and likes when people are patient; a child with down syndrome that loves to sing and dance; and Sonia, the author, who likes to ask questions about peoples differences. Every child in Just Ask! has their own story, differences, and "grows in [their] own way", but differences are amazing, unique, and bring richness to the world. Without differences, the world wouldn't be interesting.
Author/ Illustrator:
Sonia Sotomayer: https://www.oyez.org/justices/sonia_sotomayor Sonia Sotomayer, is a strong, independent, woman that has made many great political advances in her life. She is a Puerto Rican woman who is a federal court judge. Sonia is an #OwnVoice author and used her own personal experience to shape her inspiration for Just Ask! . According to 'Just Ask!' Says Sonia Sotomayor. She Knows What It's Like To Feel Different, Sonia knows what it is like to have her differences judged and misinterpreted. Sonia was accused of using drugs in a bathroom, even though she was only administering her insulin injections; Sonia has diabetes. Therefore, as a result of this incident, Sonia wanted children with different diagnoses to be understood and accurately represented to avoid misconceptions, so she wrote Just Ask!, which prompts people to ask questions about what they do not understand.
Rafael Lopez: https://rafaellopez.com Rafael, the illustrator of Just ASK!, uses watercolor, pencil, and acrylic to create his vivid illustrations for Just ASK! and other stories he has illustrated; his style is inspired by his childhood hometown. Rafael was born and raised in Mexico, which inspired his rich colorful style of artwork. Rafael uses bold and bright colors to portray the beautiful message behind Just ASK! . Moreover, Rafael has a son that has high-functioning ASD, so he was drawn to the story and the concept behind the story, Just Ask! He wanted individuals, like his son, to be accurately represented in children's literature. Moreover, Rafael had to represent other disabilities in Just ASK! using illustrations, and he made sure to respectfully illustrate the different disabilities that are represented in the book. Just as Rafael has created beautiful illustrations for Just ASK! and other children's books, he has created postage stamps to represent Latin Music.
A Boy Called Bat
2018 Global Read Aloud selection and a Junior Library Guild Selection
Synopsis: Bat, a young child with the full name Bixby Alexander Tam, learns to find friendship in a small abandoned kit, also known as a baby skunk. Bat has Autism Spectrum Disorder, which is a social communication neurological disorder, essentially meaning that he has a little trouble making connections with other people. Bat has some difficulties connecting with others because he sometimes other people have trouble understanding Bat and Bat has trouble understanding them. Connections with other people are difficult for Bat to make, but when his mom, who is a veterinarian. bring home a kit, he suddenly is able to feel such a strong connection. All Bat can think about is how he can be the best caregiver for Thor, the kit, so his mother will let him keep the kit before it needs to be released back into the wild. This seems like an easy task, but there are times when Bat can't be with the kit because he has to spend the weekend with his dad, and. . . his mom doesn't think he should keep the kit. What is he going to do?!? Bat decides to become a skunk expert and get the advice from other skunk experts on how to be the best caretaker for his little Thor. Bat also has to learn to trust other people to take care of the kit, which is extremely difficult for him. While trying to be the best caretaker for the kit, the kit helps bat to form unlikely friendships and make amazing improvement in his social communication skills with others, including his family. Who knew a kit could make such a beneficial difference in Bat's life?!
Author:
Elena K. Arnola: http://elanakarnold.com Elena K. Arnola is not an #OwnVoice author for her story A Boy Called Bat, however, she uses her personal experiences to help shape the story of A Boy Called Bat. Elena does not have ASD, but she uses other authors that have ASD to criticize, analyze, and reflect on how autism is represented in her book and how it could accurately display autism. Therefore, you could say that she has #OthersVoices represented through her work. According to a podcast, Elena received praise from a multitude of neuro-typical parents saying that they understood their child better because of her book; this books is extremely impact. Moreover, Elena wanted to represent diversity by having the main character, Bixby, be Chinese-American. Most of the children in literature that are represented with having ASD are white, heterosexual, males. Therefore, she wanted to change that narrative and give a whole new perspective to children with ASD.
Affordances/ Challenges for both texts:
Both of these books bring about new insight into different disabilities. Many neuro-typicals and individuals that do not have medical needs are unaware of the misconceptions that they may have regarding others' needs. However, using these books, teachers can begin discussing the differences that children have. It is important to understand that even though children have differences, they are all children. They all work on the same 'garden' and their uniqueness brings richness to the garden. One of the challenges that these books may have is representing the disability/need in their stories. A Boy Named Bat is about a boy with ASD. The story line gives a good picture into high-functioning autism, but it does not discuss the different severity of the autism diagnosis. Autism is a spectrum disorder, thus, there are many ways that individuals with ASD differ from others with their same diagnosis. It is important that we explain to students that even though you may know someone with a disability or need, that is just one example of someone with that disability. Just Ask! and A Boy Named Bat can introduce the classroom to a range of disabilities/ needs that require a more in depth classroom discussion.
Inclusive Text Set Guiding Questions
Interrogating Depictions of Disability in Children’s Picture books
Monica C. Kleekamp, Angie Zapata Guiding Question 1: How Is the Life of the Character With a Disability Presented as Multidimensional?
A Boy Called Bat: Bat, the main character with ASD, is not defined by his disability, yet it is a large part of who he is and contributes to his drive and passion towards helping animals.
Just Ask!: Similar to A Boy Called Bat, all of characters throughout this story use their disability in a positive way, and, like Bat, it is a large part of who they are but it does not define them. For example. Rafael, a child that has Asthma, uses his inhaler when he needs trouble breather and needs quiet time, but Rafael also paints beautiful flowers and plants. All of the characters represented in both children's books use their disability to their advantage, thus it is seem more as an "ability" than a disability. All children are represented as talented, caring, individuals, with individual talents.
Guiding Question 2: Whose Voice Is Represented and Privileged in the Telling of This Story
A Boy Called Bat: Is written by Elena K. Arnola, who does not have autism, yet she uses the advice from individuals with ASD to read over, critique, and analyze her book to make sure that children with ASD have their voice represented. She has the privileged of telling this story about a child that has, but it is not her story. Even thought this story is not from her perspective, there is still much we can learn by reading about children with ASD. Just ASK! gives a voice to multiple children with different disabilities. There are a few children with the same disability that are represented in different ways. For example, there are two children that describe their ASD diagnosis and what their diagnosis looks like for them, so it gives a voice not only to children, but to the differences that teach child has. Sonia Sotomayor's voice is represented in this text. She has included a page about diabetes; Sonia has diabetes and it is what inspired her to write this book.
Guiding Question 3:How Are Readers Positioned to Think and Feel About the Character With a Disability?
A Boy Called Bat: Readers are able to see his compassion and dedication to raising the kit. Bat's caring nature opens a conversation for caring for others and the commonalities neuro-typicals have with individuals that are diagnoses with ASD. Just ASK!: Readers are positioned to see the differences that children have throughout the book. Readers are able to ask themselves questions that may make them realate to the individuals that have disabilities/ medical/ learning needs. Lastly, readers are able to see that everyone contributes their uniqueness to the world in their own way.
Guiding Question 4: What Steps Has the Author Taken to Create and Present Authentic Relationships?
A Boy Called Bat: Bat lives primarily with his mother and sister because his parents are divorced. Bat is able to see and care for the baby kit at his mother's house, but he is not able to take care of the kit when he is at his father's house. Bat must learn to create connections at his father's house when he does not have the kit to take care of. Just ASK!: All of the characters in the story are all working together to create a garden. This is symbolic of the world; all children work together to make the world unique. Without everyone working together and understanding each other, we would not be able to make a beautiful garden (a beautiful world).
A Boy and A Jaguar
Schneider Family Book Award Winner
#OwnVoice Author Youtube Read Aloud by Mrs. St. Germain Reads
Guiding Questions for Inclusive Text Selection:
Synopsis:
Alan, a young boy who is curious about the word around him, is defined by a stutter that effects his speech. Alan is self-conscious about his stutter and how it affects his day-to-day life, but there he has a superpower. . . he can talk and sing to animals without a stutter. He talks to his animals about how they are alike; both Alan and the animals are misunderstood because they can't get their words out. Alan makes a promise to his animal friends that when he finds his voice, he will be a voice for the animals who cannot speak for themselves. Alan is judge, misunderstood, and seen as a disruption at school. He goes through different treatments that don't work, so he just becomes silent and comes into his "shell". Even though Alan is sad about his stutter, there is always one thing that can cheer him up: the zoo! He is able to be with the misunderstood. When Alan grows up, he is able to learn how to become a "fluent stutter" and speak without having a stutter, but he still feels misunderstood and broken from the many years of his adolescent life. One day, Alan is in Belize studying jaguars and he realizes that he feels alive in the jungle. Alan comes to understand that the jaguars are poached and killed because they are misunderstood, so he decides to do something about it! He gives a 15 minute speech to the prime minister in Belize (without a stutter) and is able to get this underdeveloped country to create a jaguar preserve. At the end of the story, Alan comes face to face with a jaguar who has "strength, sureness, and wholeness"; which is exactly what Alan has now.
Author/ Illustrator Perspective:
Alan Rabinowitz: https://www.panthera.org/alan-rabinowitz-tribute
Alan Rabinowitz wrote A Boy and A Jaguar as an autobiographical text. Alan struggled with having a stutter his entire life, but he was able to find a connection with animals without his stutter interfering with their connection. In regards to A Boy and a Jaguar, Alan said, " A Boy and a Jaguar, reminds youngsters and adults alike that one can overcome hurdles and keep promises that may seem impossible. The book has received the Schneider Family Book Award, embodying, per prize criteria, an “artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.” Later in Alan's life he went on to be the CEO of Panthera, cats wildlife conservation initiative.
Humanizing Text/ Inclusive Text Set Guiding Questions Answered:
As an educator, reading A Boy and A Jaguar bring me nothing more than tears to my eyes. This is a story that every child needs to read because Alan took his 'disability' and turned it into something that helped him change the world. As a child, Alan felt like an outcast because of his stutter, but he felt as if he belonged with the animals. His connection with animals lasted throughout his lifetime. He was able to literally find a voice to himself. It is evident in the book that Alan, even in his most stressful moments, was able to conquer something that made him feel different. Moreover, he was able to use his own voice to speak for the animals. There are so many children that can connect to this children's book. Children will be able to connect with his connection with animals; most, if not all children love animals.Children will be able to see the dedication, motivation, and determination that Alan had when fighting for the tigers. He didn't let his disability hold him back; he used it to his advantage and became a 'fluent stutter'. Children need to be able to see their 'disability' as an ability.
Moreover, children are often scared, shy, and/or ashamed of their differences. Especially if their differences caused them to be the center of attention in the classroom. It is our job, as educators, to make every child feel welcome and safe in our classroom environment. In Alan's story, the teachers told his parents that he was a 'distraction' in the classroom. While reading this, I became furious. Every child has the potential to distract other children. . . that is what children do! It is our job to utilize these 'distractions' into an education learning experience. Think to yourself: How can I flip this narrative? How can I help my students feel connected in my classroom? How can I listen to my students and their needs?
Questions to Guide Your Students:
Using the CL Framework by Laminack and Kelly in Reading to Make a Difference to guide my questions.
Think of this book as a mirror, window, or door. Can you see yourself reflected? Why are you able to see yourself reflected in this story? -or- Are you able to put yourself in the shoes of the author? What are you learning from a different perspective?
What are your thought on differences? Do differences make us different or bring us closer together?
Would you rather be different than everyone else or the same? Why?
How would you use your difference to your advantage?
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