Good Masters, Sweet Ladies

Schlitz, L.A. (2007).Good masters, sweet ladies. Boston, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. Good masters, sweet ladies is a book that introduces young readers into medieval history through monologues and dialogues. The book includes a map of the medieval village that includes each character. The monologues and dialogues share the adventures or struggles in day to day life of children in 1255 in England. Readers will be astonished that children in 1255 had some of the same issues they encounter such as loving a pet, disciplined by parents, jealousy and having crushes. For elementary students, a simple project such as creating a diorama to depict the time and events for a character to get a better understanding of the medieval times.

We are the ship

Nelson, K. (2008). We are the ship.New York: Hyperion. We are the Ship is about the history of the Negro League baseball from the 1920’s to the 1940’s. The narrator describes the struggles that the players endured from white players and the making it their dreams come true to be part of the MLB. The story ends with Jackie Robinson crossing over to the MLB and making it possible for African American’s to make history. The story is narrated through an “Everyman” player that is sitting on a bleacher and saw the whole history being played out right in front of him. He sounds like an old fashioned stereotypical southerner adding an authenticity fell for the storytelling. Some examples of the language are “All of ‘em,” ‘cause, ‘ol, an’, etc. Nelson’s illustrations help the reader picture the hardships and successes the Negroes had to endure. This story would be great for a research to describe the present and past of ball players, especially the transportation, acceptance and wages. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ3NANR101w

The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963

Curtis, C.P. (1995). The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963. New York: Delacorte Press. Ten year old Kenny has a loving and weird family according to him. He has a sweet little sister, Joetta that enjoys going to Sunday school, an older brother, Byron that is considered a juvenile delinquent and two loving parents. Byron starts getting into a lot of trouble, so his parents decide to take a road trip to Birmingham, Alabama to visit the one person that can shape him up, the strict grandmother. Kenny describes the events leading up to the family trip to Birmingham and discusses the racism and segregation that was occurring in the South at that time. At the end, Kenny is struck with depression because of the horror of the bombing of the church and fearing his sister had died. Luckily, Joetta left church to follow a dog. Byron becomes more loving and helps Kenny get over the bombing and becomes a better person. Curtis uses the historical bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church on September 15, 1963 to set the setting of the difficult times African Americans had during the Civil Right Movement. He justified the dialect in the south compared to the north with grandma’s pronunciation of words such as “Wool Pooh” instead of “whirlpool.” The message to love one another and stick together, even through difficult times, was portrayed throughout the story. Family love is a strong bond that can help them overcome anything. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7yLMoAKAXo