Diverse Literature: Critically Reading the World
This week, I read A Crack In The Sea by H.M. Bouwman along with Dreamers by Yuyi Morales.
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Published in 2017, A Crack in The Sea is a historical fantasy with a plot and group of characters that are both unique and complex. I found it to be a challenging read for a few reasons; there were many passages that I read over and over again since there are quite a few characters to keep straight, and the story quickly changes between worlds and character voices. I am a stranger to fantasy novels so diving into this completely unknown genre and fictional world was a new experience for me. However, I think this enhanced my experience because I was able to relate to the feeling of being in a place that was completely foreign to me.
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This story is critical to my classroom library because of the way that Bouwman beautifully blends historical fiction and fantasy. Even more important is the fact that this book addresses slavery, the Atlantic Slave Trade, and the plight of refugees, and I have never before seen this in a children's book. Additionally, throughout the story, nearly every character struggles to find where home truly is after facing (and escaping) lives of slavery, abuse, and war. As the characters ultimately find comfort and a new, safe home, they discover that the definition of home is constantly evolving to include new places and experiences, and this is an important message for all students to hear.
A Crack in the Sea Review
A Crack in the Sea follows the stories of three sibling pairs as they face various life-altering obstacles based on real historical events including The Atlantic Slave Trade and the Vietnam Exodus. In this book, the crack in the sea serves as a portal to another land called the Second World, where every character is forced to find a new physical home or home-like comfort in another person or memory. The theme of finding home is important to this story because it shows the reader that home does not necessarily need to be a physical space.
Pip and Kinchen found home in each other and in the start of their new lives in the Second World. Pip felted outcasted by society because of his ability to speak to fish, and Kinchen often worried about him. For them, home was not a physical location. It was the comfort they found in each other that ultimately felt like home. Sang, Mai, and Thahn found home in the physical aspects of the Second World and saw it as an opportunity to reclaim home after the passing of their parents. Overall, the theme of finding home is present throughout every aspect of this book and can be seen differently within each character.
Accompanying Resources for Teaching
Teaching about slavery and refugees can be difficult, and the books discussed in this blog post contain topics that may be challenging to talk about. The following videos discuss these issues in factual detail and will help prepare students to critically read Dreamers and A Crack in the Sea.
Carina Hoang is an author, three-time college graduate, and former refugee after escaping and miraculously surviving battle-scarred Vietnam. In this video by TEDx, she discusses her experiences as a "boat person" and the difficulties she and her family have faced since leaving Vietnam.
Hoang's personal account of what it means to be a refugee is poignant and powerful. Her story adds context to the term 'refugee' and is an important reference for students and teachers alive when reading Dreamers and A Crack in the Sea.
"You only leave home when home won't let you stay." - Warsan Shire
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An award-winning British poet and educator, Warsan Shire's work provides a critical look into how and why a person becomes a refugee. Her hard-hitting words serve as a wake-up call to the listener as she vividly describes the heartbreaking experiences that are familiar to many displaced and enslaved people.
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While I believe all people should hear Shire's work, her poem Home is especially important as a resource for teaching about life as a refugee.
Dreamers Review
"Books became our language. Books became our home. Books became our lives. We learned to read..."
"...to speak, to write, and to make our voices heard."
-Yuyi Morales
About the Author
An immigrant herself, Yuyi Morales moved from Mexico to the United States with her husband and their son in 1994. Her childhood in Mexico and her experiences as an immigrant are the inspirations for many of her books. She writes from an #OwnVoices perspective in Dreamers.
Yuyi Morales is an author, illustrator, and five-time winner of the Pura Belpre Award honoring exceptional children's literature that celebrates the Latino experience. Her work Viva Frida also received the Caldecott Honor.
In this beautifully illustrated picture book, Yuyi Morales portrays immigration in a way that is uplifting and positive yet attentive to the realities of life in a new place. The texts and illustrations work together to tell a story of new life found through books and the use of language.
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The book begins with a double spread depicting a mother and son with the words "Amor-Love-Amor" written in pencil across the page. I think the inclusion of both Spanish and English sets a powerfully inclusive tone to the book. From this point on, several other Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text. This shows the way that Morales and her son merged the culture of their home in Mexico with their new life in the United States. The pages following also show the hardship that came with their immigration to the U.S. She describes being afraid of speaking and not knowing much English, until she stumbled across the library.
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Something I love about this book is the way Morales chose to portray the public library. Her double spread (pages 13 and 14) of the library makes the space feel exciting and full of opportunity. In the images shown to the left, she describes how she and her son found a home in the books they read. This is such a crucial message for young readers. I love the way that Morales used Dreamers as a creative opportunity to show students that home can be found in unexpected places, including books and the local library.
