Reflection 2.6

Here are a few ideas for David:

• Students could have examined fliers and commercials from other countries/markets?
• Students could examine what commercials or print ads showing and decide who the target audience is.
• Students could inquire about Nike protests in other areas.
• Students could partner up with foundations working to stop child labor.
• Students could survey each other about “why Nike is cool?” Are there other brands that champion athletes wear (like Under Armor, or Speedo)? Is the advertised product something that is attainable for most or does having Nike products gave the owner power over others?

Self As Informant

Well, we all know how many books I brought to class the night we discussed this and in the writing this, I'm having a hard time deciding which to blog about (there's a shock!!!!). So I'm going to talk more about the context in which I encountered my fav books. Reading was a family activity and I therefore tortured every adult in the house with multiple readings of my top 3 (or so)!
My grandparents, bless their hearts, suffered through "Surprise Surprise" and my mother endured "Cat in the Hat" "Green Eggs and Ham" (some elephant book that I can't find) and of course, "Where the Sidewalk Ends". Its seems I had a thing for rhymes! What I remember most about reading with them is the quiet time that was set aside just for me. In the winter my mom and I would cuddle up on the couch under homemade throws with hot chocolate. That's one of my favorite things to do now.

I feel like most of the books that have changed my life have been read as an adult (except for that lil' plagiarism incident). Maybe I missed a few lessons along the way. I remember really enjoying books like "Superfudge", which was the first chapter book I read totally on my own, and "Are You There God Its Me, Margaret".

Bookstore Observation

For this assignment I went to the Borders ® in downtown Silver Spring; I should have gone to the bookstore inside Busboys and Poets on 14th Street. In making my choice I considered the diversity I’ve seen in and around the downtown area and myriad of patrons I’ve seen inside of Borders, thinking that I could find something highlighting social issues. WRONG! I didn’t find any books directly dealing with racism or sexism. When I asked a staff member to point me in the right direction, she told me books dealing with racism and the empowerment of women were available online, but not actually in the store.

Out of the ten or so books I browsed through there was equal representation amongst male and female authors. I’m unsure about the author’s actual backgrounds and most books didn’t have author/illustrator photos. About half the books were tucked away and I just happened to see them as I was browsing titles. I was also disappointed to see that the informational book section as well as the section (yes, I do mean one section for all of the following areas J) dealing with religion, grief and other seemingly miscellaneous family issues was so small. A section representing Latin American culture was more substantial and even included dual language text as well as translations of popular stories. An attempt (we’ll see if it lasts AFTER Hispanic Heritage Month) at diversity is duly noted.
Here are some titles that I found:

Barack by Jonah Winter
· This book was located in the front of the children’s sections under the heading “YES WE CAN”.
· The book was within the reach of children 8 years old or older.
· The illustrations were accurate, without stereotypes, however illustrations are not vivid.
· The book is situated amongst other presidential themed books, including one about McCain (written by his daughter) and another about a female candidate.

Princess Rules by Carmela LaVigna Coyle illustrated by: Carl Gordon and Mike Gordon

· Kind of empowering. The book explains that princesses do everything from wearing boots and climbing trees to jumping in puddles, wearing jeans and a t-shirts and t-shirt to having bad hair days and scrapped knees. They even have to follow the rules.
· The message was that everyone is a princess, just look inside yourself!
· The characters were very cartoonish, but there were a few token children of color, all with very tight curly hair.
· This book was located on a shelf with the cover facing out, within the reach of an adult only.

Today I Feel Silly by Jamie Lee Curtis
· Vivid illustrations but was characters were not realistic looking.
· There was a token child of color.
· This book was in reach of most children, and the colors on the cover would attract them.

It’s Okay to be Different by Todd Parr
· Talks superficially about different issues: different moms, different days, to be different “colors”, and have different hair.
· The illustrations are not life like at all, the colors used are vibrant yellows and blues. Colors that people don’t come in.
· The characters are not life like and are sometimes represented by animals. I think this makes it hard for students to make realistic connections to the book and its messages.

Queen of the Scene by Queen Latifah illustrated by Frank Morrison
· The book aims to instill pride and confidence in young African American girls.
· The pictures are not diverse, however, they are accurate.
· The spine of the book was facing out, the cover couldn’t be seen. It’s only accessible to parents looking through titles.
· Word choice was interesting. It was written more casually then others, at times opting for slang.

Critical Literacy