A Portrait

Here's a portrait I worked on recently. Still needs work but I ran out of model time. It looks like her but sort of a cartoonish version of her (Cara). She doesn't really have her eyes closed. She was reading a book but I was going crazy trying to capture her hands and arms position (which changed constantly) so Robert finally told me to ditch the book, arms and hands. That was a study unto itself. Consequently, I couldn't see the bottom part of the painting so I had to guess a lot. I just didn't have time to go in and refine it. I also snapped this as it was beginning to get dark out. It looks a mite better in real life. I think.

Painting is always a humbling experience. Always.

Biographies For Kids

I'm currently doing a unit on biographies with my third grade students. I always enjoy this unit because I often learn something new myself. Last year, for instance, I read Flight, by Robert Burleigh, about Lindbergh's famous trans Atlantic flight. Since Lindbergh took off from Long Island (about where the Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall is now located), it also served as a little slice of Long Island history. The book is only a partial biography so I supplemented with some information from the internet -- where Lindbergh grew up, how his son was kidnapped and murdered, his interest in the environment and so on. The next time the kids came to library, one girl, Renee, raised her hand. Her great grandmother, she said, had worked as the Lindbergh baby's nanny. Wow. That was pretty fascinating.

When I read a biography of Neil Armstrong, one boy raised his hand to tell me that his grandpa had worked on the LEM that transported the first three astronauts from the Saturn 5 rocket to the moon's surface. Another little slice of Long Island history. Grumann, an aerospace company, used to be Long Island's biggest employer.

I do read some bios of a few dead white guys because, honestly, everybody should know who Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin and James Madison were. Besides, the kids often learn they weren't perfect humans either. Thomas Edison got in trouble in school for gazing out the window and not paying attention. Ben Franklin ran away from home.

I also read some slightly offbeat bios. I like Kathleen Krull's biography of Wilma Rudolph, Wilma Unlimited, because it's as much about hope and perseverance in the face of unbelievable odds as it is about one woman's incredible life.

Another book I enjoy reading to the kids is Eleanor, by Barbara Cooney, about Eleanor Roosevelt's early life. As a child, she had such a sad life. Her mother was disappointed by her and died at a young age and her father was an alcoholic. Now and then, somebody questions if kids need to hear about all that. My answer is always YES. Who knows, maybe the disheveled boy sitting there in the back -- the one whose mother is an alcoholic and whose father is never around -- will take some heart in knowing that he's not the only one whose life is less than perfect.

Biographies not only give kids role models but they offer up hope and inspiration. Still, it's hard to find good ones that draw children in. A lot of biographies tend to be a little dry and laden with dates. A good biography brings a person to life for a child.

Anybody know of some great biographies for children? If so, feel free to share them.

The Banned Book Is Back

Okay, I finally had a chance to speak with my principal about the banned book, Blubber. As I expected, she listened carefully and agreed with me that we can't remove a book every time a parent complains. I explained the need to develop a district wide selection policy and a uniform method of handling complaints.

When a parent complains about a book in the library, the A.L.A. recommends that we listen attentively to the parent. After all, parents are taxpayers and have a right to air their opinions. Then we give them a copy of our selection policy explaining the criteria used in selecting books for the library. Finally, we give them a complaint form to fill out. Usually the complaint form asks for the title, author, if the person represents a group or sect, has he/she read the entire book and, if so, could he please summarize it. A reconsideration form should also ask the complainer to explain what he didn't like about the book, why he feels it should be removed from the library, if he's aware of what the critics had to say about the book and so on. Usually a reconsideration form is too much bother for most people. In fact, when the complainer gets to the question about whether or not he's read the entire book, he usually stops. The truth is, most of the people who have complaints about library books and materials haven't read the whole book. They usually stop reading when they reach the part they don't like.

Funny, I learned that most of the upper grade teachers (grades 3-6) have a copy of Blubber in their classroom library and, in fact, our school Prevention program uses Blubber when addressing issues of bullying.

Anyhow, I am relieved. Yay for intellectual freedom and First Amendment rights!