Diverse Learners Text Set: Military Connected Students K-2
Summary of Text:
A Paper Hug, written by Stephanie Skolmoski, tells the story of a young boy who is faced with the deployment of his father. He desires a way to keep in contact with his father and puts something in his package that will be special and remind his father of him. He eventually makes "a hug" and the father uses the hug until the day he can come home.
Critical Review:
Strengths: A strength of this book is the way the author using arts and crafts to help this young boy find peace with the distance between himself and his father. I think the concept is very creative and encourages young readers to use art therapy as a method for finding comfort in a tough time. Another strength is the positive relationship between the mother and the son while the father is away. This could encourage children to strengthen the relationship with someone else close that they can rely on and talk about the person they both miss so dearly.
Weaknesses: A weakness of this book is the lack of representation of the time between the father's deployment and when he returns. The author spends so much time talking about the father getting ready to leave and all of the preparation it will take to help him pack and feel loved. However, she doesn't spend very much time providing students with methods for coping with the distance during the actual deployment. I think this could be easily changed by adding a few pages that build the relationship even stronger between the young boy and his mother, or the young boy and a friend who is experiencing something similar.
The author's perspective and expertise is unique because she is writing from personal experience. She mentions on the Dedication Page that she is thankful for her children who have been supportive and loving during her life. Two of her children have been deployed in Iraq, providing her with insight into what it feels like to say goodbye to a loved one due to military connection. This perspective is always helpful when writing because the author has experienced the emotions that are provoked by a unique experience. therefore they are able to better relate to their readers.
There is a hint of stereotyping involved in this storyline. The father found out through the mail that he will be deployed and the family began packing with him. The young boy wanted to find something special to place in his father's box and remind him of home. This is a stereotypical response we see in movies and novels about families involved in the military, all because of a strong relationship between a son and his father. Not every child will be able to relate to this response. Some children may feel deeply saddened for days and do not handle the deployment very well. Some children may become angry and not want to be involved in the packing process. The response of the young boy was a stereotypical response of a child with no behavioral problems and not enough worries to affect his response to his father's deployment.
Annelids Bennion's illustrations are fairly simple and do not demonstrate complex scenes. Whatever the writing on the left side of the page says, the right side has a simple illustration to show what is happening. Whether that be a car magazine, an idea bubble coming out of the boy's head, or a ball of yarn, the illustrator keeps the pages easy to look at and follow along with the text. If a child could not read yet, they wouldn't have a great idea of what is happening due to the vagueness. It provides something for the children to lookout during a read-a-loud, but it does not enhance the text.
This story does not demonstrate diversity in any regard. There are no references to culture, religion, or socioeconomic status. The family consists of two white adults and a white child. Their last name is Smith, which is a very common name. The relationship between the mother and father is a standard stereotypical husband and wife relationship. When the father gets the letter about his deployment, the mother begins to cry. This demonstrates the stereotypical sensitiveness of women. The father comforts her and tells them everything will be alright. This demonstrates the stereotypical bravery of men.
Classroom Connections:
Main Themes: The main theme of this text is that there is always a bright side and loving someone well can make a difference. The young boy immediately began thinking of his father and how to make him feel loved while he is away. His selflessness shines through his handmade hug and makes an impact on his father.
Possible Activities: An activity the students could participate in after reading this book would be to think of ways to love others better. They can begin brainstorming the importance of kindness and how they can spread kindness in the room. Everyone will create a "hug" for a peer they have been assigned to. On the "hug" they will write some kind words about their friend. We could hang these around the classroom as a reminder of the importance of thinking of others and showing kindness.
Additional Resources:
1. www.education.com/activity/article/heart-hug/
The link above takes you to a lesson plan titled Heart Hug. The lesson includes the activity and the supplies needed to complete the craft.
2. https://www.education.com/lesson-plan/writing-a-letter-is-easy-as-123/
The link above takes you to a website with a lesson plan about how to accurately structure a letter. This could benefit students who are writing letters to a deployed parent.
3. https://hildegardcenter.org/art-bridges/
The link above takes you to a website that has many lesson plans about incorporating art therapy into a child's copying process. This is important because art can help with dealing with challenges.
A Paper Hug, written by Stephanie Skolmoski, tells the story of a young boy who is faced with the deployment of his father. He desires a way to keep in contact with his father and puts something in his package that will be special and remind his father of him. He eventually makes "a hug" and the father uses the hug until the day he can come home.
Critical Review:
Strengths: A strength of this book is the way the author using arts and crafts to help this young boy find peace with the distance between himself and his father. I think the concept is very creative and encourages young readers to use art therapy as a method for finding comfort in a tough time. Another strength is the positive relationship between the mother and the son while the father is away. This could encourage children to strengthen the relationship with someone else close that they can rely on and talk about the person they both miss so dearly.
Weaknesses: A weakness of this book is the lack of representation of the time between the father's deployment and when he returns. The author spends so much time talking about the father getting ready to leave and all of the preparation it will take to help him pack and feel loved. However, she doesn't spend very much time providing students with methods for coping with the distance during the actual deployment. I think this could be easily changed by adding a few pages that build the relationship even stronger between the young boy and his mother, or the young boy and a friend who is experiencing something similar.
The author's perspective and expertise is unique because she is writing from personal experience. She mentions on the Dedication Page that she is thankful for her children who have been supportive and loving during her life. Two of her children have been deployed in Iraq, providing her with insight into what it feels like to say goodbye to a loved one due to military connection. This perspective is always helpful when writing because the author has experienced the emotions that are provoked by a unique experience. therefore they are able to better relate to their readers.
There is a hint of stereotyping involved in this storyline. The father found out through the mail that he will be deployed and the family began packing with him. The young boy wanted to find something special to place in his father's box and remind him of home. This is a stereotypical response we see in movies and novels about families involved in the military, all because of a strong relationship between a son and his father. Not every child will be able to relate to this response. Some children may feel deeply saddened for days and do not handle the deployment very well. Some children may become angry and not want to be involved in the packing process. The response of the young boy was a stereotypical response of a child with no behavioral problems and not enough worries to affect his response to his father's deployment.
Annelids Bennion's illustrations are fairly simple and do not demonstrate complex scenes. Whatever the writing on the left side of the page says, the right side has a simple illustration to show what is happening. Whether that be a car magazine, an idea bubble coming out of the boy's head, or a ball of yarn, the illustrator keeps the pages easy to look at and follow along with the text. If a child could not read yet, they wouldn't have a great idea of what is happening due to the vagueness. It provides something for the children to lookout during a read-a-loud, but it does not enhance the text.
This story does not demonstrate diversity in any regard. There are no references to culture, religion, or socioeconomic status. The family consists of two white adults and a white child. Their last name is Smith, which is a very common name. The relationship between the mother and father is a standard stereotypical husband and wife relationship. When the father gets the letter about his deployment, the mother begins to cry. This demonstrates the stereotypical sensitiveness of women. The father comforts her and tells them everything will be alright. This demonstrates the stereotypical bravery of men.
Classroom Connections:
Main Themes: The main theme of this text is that there is always a bright side and loving someone well can make a difference. The young boy immediately began thinking of his father and how to make him feel loved while he is away. His selflessness shines through his handmade hug and makes an impact on his father.
Possible Activities: An activity the students could participate in after reading this book would be to think of ways to love others better. They can begin brainstorming the importance of kindness and how they can spread kindness in the room. Everyone will create a "hug" for a peer they have been assigned to. On the "hug" they will write some kind words about their friend. We could hang these around the classroom as a reminder of the importance of thinking of others and showing kindness.
Additional Resources:
1. www.education.com/activity/article/heart-hug/
The link above takes you to a lesson plan titled Heart Hug. The lesson includes the activity and the supplies needed to complete the craft.
2. https://www.education.com/lesson-plan/writing-a-letter-is-easy-as-123/
The link above takes you to a website with a lesson plan about how to accurately structure a letter. This could benefit students who are writing letters to a deployed parent.
3. https://hildegardcenter.org/art-bridges/
The link above takes you to a website that has many lesson plans about incorporating art therapy into a child's copying process. This is important because art can help with dealing with challenges.