Month: January 2016

#ReadYourWorld

/ jenstrattonandteampossible / 3 Comments

A Book Review for Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2016

MCBookDay-21

Hi Team Possible Readers,

Some of you may know that I spent the past seven years teaching undergraduate and graduate students about multicultural education and literacy. If you were in one of my classes, you also know that I always tried to weave in the opportunity to read a picture book aloud to students, and then use the text to help make connections to difficult concepts or new theories. If you happened to stop by my office on the third floor, you soon found yourself among shelves filled with colorful picture books telling the stories of our diverse world. Therefore, you might be able to imagine my excitement when I was given the opportunity to be a book reviewer for Multicultural Children’s Book Day founded by Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom and Valarie Budayr from Jump Into a Book/Audrey Press.

Before I begin my review I should mention that I have never listened to an audiobook. It is not because I don’t value them. It is simply because I love the tangible feel of the pages turning when I am reading. But, I do remember the pure joy of sitting in front of a tape recorder listening to the story and waiting for the beep to signal to me that it was time to turn the page in my book. So I was excited and a bit nervous, when my book to review arrived in the mail in the form of a three disc audio book. Fortunately, I also received an email from the author suggesting I listen to the book while riding in the car. He even encouraged me to share the book with my children, a second and fifth-grader. He promised me they would be silent in the car while it played. With a promise like that, I couldn’t wait to listen to Tales from Davey Jones Locker Quetzalcoatl Series by Carl Gundestrup.

Quetzalcoatl.amazon

Tales from Davey Jones Locker Quetzalcoatl Series by Carl Gundestrup Photo Credit: Amazon.com

He was right. It was like driving around town inside a mobile movie. The full orchestra provided a beautiful musical score and sound effects to every scene. While 22 voices portrayed by actors made the book come alive in my SUV. And to my amazement, as the music played and the story unraveled my children were silent. I could almost see the images dancing around in their heads as I looked back at them in the rearview mirror. Our drive had become an odyssey of the Quetzalcoatl.

The main character in the story is Garrett Spencer- an adventurous, athletic and brave 13 year-old. Garrett never turns away from a challenge and excitement is always around the corner including fights with school yard bullies, a sea dragon, a killer whale and much more. The story itself is set in a small northern coastal town. With the music and rich description you can nearly feel the cool mist and craggy cliffs that surrounded Garrett.

Since we spend a lot of time in Maine, my children made a lot of connections to the setting and could easily imagine Garrett climbing down to the water. However, their favorite images and moments in the story are those of the beautiful and majestic Quetzalcoatl. Their faces lit up every time the Quetzalcoatl emerged from the waters.

A part they struggled with in the story was the use of the word, “crippled.” Garrett is described as being born with a “severely crippled” leg, and this term bothered both of my children. They felt it was mean and inaccurate which led to lots of rich conversations about exceptionalities and how to treat others. 

There are many other lessons to be learned from reading the Tales from Davey Jones Locker Quetzalcoatl Series and many of them connect directly to the Bible. It is important for readers to know that this book has numerous references to the Christian faith. It would be an excellent book to incorporate into a Christian or church school curriculum. With the music and incredible imagery, I would encourage listeners to engage in painting or another art form when listening to story. A wonderful group activity would be to create a 3-D model of a Quetzalcoatl. Also, this story is a natural to weave into an anti-bullying curriculum for upper elementary students or middle schoolers.

Finally, I want to thank Carl Gundestrup for giving me hours of quiet while driving around with the kids in the car, but more importantly for the rich discussions that took place whenever we arrived at our destination. And a big thanks, to Mia and Valarie for organizing this event. I truly appreciate being a part of it. Until next time…

Keep believing in the Possible!

Jen

To all my educator friends: Help spread the word about the Classroom Reading Challenge. This very special offering from MCCBD gives teachers and classrooms the chance to (very easily) earn a free hardcover multicultural children’s book for their classroom library. These books are not only donated by the Junior Library Guild, but they are pre-screened and approved by them as well. 

Mission Statement from MCCBD: Multicultural Children’s Book Day is to spread the word and raise awareness about the importance of diversity in children’s literature. Our young readers need to see themselves within the pages of a book and experience other cultures, languages, traditions and religions within the pages of a book. #Multicultural Kids Book for Your Classroom! #teachers, #books, #teacherlife , #ReadYour World 

Co-Creators of MCCD: Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom and Valarie Budayr from Jump Into a Book/ Audrey Press. You can find a bio for Mia and Valarie here.

Here are the Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2016 Medallion Level Sponsors:

Platinum: Wisdom Tales Press * StoryQuest Books*Lil Libros

Gold: Author Tori Nighthawk*Candlewick Press

Silver: Lee and Low Books*Chronicle Books*Capstone Young Readers

Bronze: Pomelo Books* Author Jacqueline Woodson*Papa Lemon Books* Goosebottom Books*Author Gleeson Rebello*ShoutMouse Press*Author Mahvash Shahegh* China Institute.org*

Multicultural Children’s Book Day has 12 amazing Co-Host and you can view them here.

Believing in Team Possible

/ jenstrattonandteampossible / 5 Comments

Hello Everyone!

I wanted to start the new year with thanking the many athletes who have shared their sports stories with me. All of you have provided me with new insights and greater motivation to write. I also wanted to thank all of the readers who support Team Possible by sharing posts or leaving comments. According to my “end of year report” from WordPress, your enthusiasm for stories of athletes who redefine ability has fueled this blog to be read by over 8,000 viewers in 77 countries. Although I will not use numbers to define my writing success, it certainly is validating to have nearly 500 followers. However, what encourages me the most are the comments from friends of Team Possible like:

I share all of your posts with my colleagues who are working on an inclusion task force.

I shared your post with my students.

I am designing a playground at work, and because of your posts I am truly integrating the accessibility features for all the children to play together.

I shared your post with a family member who has a child that is exceptional.

My son loves the post about Winter. Now, he has me read it to him at bedtime.

When I get the email about a new post, I save it until I have some time in my day to sit back and read it. They always make me think and reflect.

Think and reflect…I do lots of thinking and reflecting. It is simply part of the writing process. After rereading every interview from 2015, I selected the words from Team Possible members that have truly made me sit back, think and then get moving:

Nick Springer: Strength has nothing to do with what you can do when you are at your best, but what you can do when you are at your worst.

David Yates: They saw Winter and thought, “If this little dolphin can lose her tail and still live a dolphin life, then I can handle my problem.”

Jesse Billauer:  Ability is following your passion and being active in life.

Mackenzie Soldan: Grit is a good word. I would say it is taking a situation and fighting your way through it.

Zack Bastian: I’ve noticed that in my life when things get really bad I have an ability to turn the situation into something positive, and that is my super power. When things get bad, I get inspired to work harder and be better.

Greyson Cage: I wish I had invisibility, teleportability, flight and super speed.

Jim Abbott: We have to challenge ourselves each and every day. You need to ask yourself if you are pushing the limits of your own abilities.

Abby Dunkin: Ability is what you can do and not letting anything hold you back, no matter the circumstances.

Emilia Scovel: What makes a good coach is someone who knows how to make the team believe in each other and makes the team do their best.

Kanya Sesser: I think of myself and imagine myself reaching the goal.

Sydney Collier: Don’t get discouraged. It seems like a long journey and it really is. There are all these ups and downs along the way. Just keep your eye on the goal.

Cortney Jordan: Ability is doing your best and putting all your effort into something. It is demonstrating what you are capable of.

Malat Wei: Always have a positive attitude around your teammates. A positive attitude will get you wherever you want to go in life, and not just in sports.

Nick Newell: I am more of a Batman type guy. I take what I have and make it work.  Then, I go about it the smartest way possible. No superpowers. Just always working with what I have.

Rio Woolf: You can do anything.

Impressive, I know! Those wise and inspiring words have motivated me to keep going and to interview more athletes in the upcoming months. In 2016 you can look forward to meeting more athletes on the Road to Rio and beyond. Since I LOVE children’s book, you can plan for some book reviews, and I may even sneak in a documentary or movie review. Finally, I will weave in a personal essay or two throughout the months. It should be an exciting year. Thanks for joining me.

Keep Believing in the Possible!

Jen