Slice of Life Story Challenge #10 - I Walk with Vanessa

 

 My focus this month is to explore writing invitations, mostly through newly published picture books, but possibly some other mentor texts as well. 

I Walk with Vanessa: A Story about a Simple Act of Kindness by Kerascoët
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

bookshelves: 2018-book, anti-bullying, bebrave, empathy, friendship, kindness, picture-book, wordless  
So sweet! When a classmate notices that Vanessa, a new girl in school, is isolated and bullied, she feels sad until she gets an idea. She will befriend Vanessa and invite her to be in her group of friends. Because it is completely wordless, it is even more powerful. Good information at the end about bullying and how kids can stand up for each other - a glossary of words related to bullying as well. This book would be great as part of an empathy unit and would spark discussions about kindness and inclusion. It would be interesting for kids to compare and contrast it with Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson.

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Writing invitation: Write about your connections to bullying.  Maybe it is a story of how you were bullied, or maybe it is a time you stood up to a bully.  How did it impact you or others?

     Each year when I started my Empathy and Diversity unit in September, I would share Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson.  It's a beautiful book, but it stuns kids with its ending.  We talk about how sometimes, books reflect life by not wrapping up conflict with a pretty bow.  Sometimes things don't end happily or get resolved satisfactorily.  The important thing is that Chloe may have a chance to make things right with the next person who is in Maya's position.  She still learned from her mistakes.

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

bookshelves: empathy, leaving-a-legacy, mock-caldecott-2013, theme, bullying, character-traits, character-motivation, character-development  
This book makes an impact. Chloe and her friends reject and tease the new girl, Maya, even when she tries to befriend Chloe. One day Maya moves away, and when Chloe's teacher demonstrates that kindness acts like a stone dropped into the water - it ripples out into the world, she can't think of a single kind thing she's done. When she realizes Maya isn't coming back, she is left with the knowledge that she was cruel to her and won't be able to make it right. The illustrations are beautiful and revealing, capturing expressions perfectly. This would be a great companion book to Wonder and The Hundred Dresses.

     Now that I Walk with Vanessa: A Story about a Simple Act of Kindness is in the world, it would make a great follow-up.  Kids could compare and contrast how different things could turn out if you chose not to be a bystander or aggressor and became someone's ally instead (vocabulary words included in the back of this book).  The ally in this book reminds me of the ally in the story I heard on one of my favorite shows, CBS Sunday Morning today. Enjoy!