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Using Picture Books to Jumpstart History

Read any good picture books lately?

No, that's not a typo. I mean exactly that: picture books. This market is expanding, along with the content material you can use in your classroom. For teachers, that means a vast, untapped resource that can engage and springboard the at-risk learner (or any type of student, for that matter) in dozens of directions -- history, creative writing, art, symbolism -- all under the guise of a kid's book.

Historical Fiction...in a Picture Book

The cool thing about this genre is that it combines a story with the truth. Kids love 'real' stories and historical fiction is a great way to get them interested in the past without jamming dry textbooks down their throats.

"He held his words in his hands!"

Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman(Alan Schroeder; Dial Books, c. 1996) relays the story Harriet's first attempts at freedom. The beauty of this book lies not only in the message, but in its words. Poetic and literary, the character of young Harriet is alive, her yearning for freedom tangible. If you're doing anything with the Civil War, slavery or the Underground Railroad, this book is a fabulous stepping stone. Use it in creative writing: have kids write diary entries from the point of view of Harriet or her mother or the slave owner. A more advanced activity would be having kids analyze the story to decide which facts they think were the 'real' ones and which were created for fictional impact. After compiling their lists, the students could hop on the web to verify the truth of Tubman's life.

"Sometimes what you get turns out to be better than what you wanted in the first place."

Another interesting stop in America's history is that of the orphan trains. Eve Bunting's The Train to Somewhere(Clarion Books, c. 1996) chronicles the journey of one young girl on such a trip. Certain she'll find her mother at one of the stops and be reunited, Marianne's hopes gradually fade as she watches child after child be adopted. As they approach Somewhere -- the last stop of the trip -- she realizes her dream will not be coming true. But perhaps a better future is waiting for her at this train station, just one she wasn't expecting.

With this story, like Minty's, the journal writing exercise would be an easy tie in. But I think you could sneak in a geography lesson, too. Have the kids find maps of America in the late 1880s and trace Marianne's trip across then and now. What changes have taken place in rail travel over this last century? Due to what? And why did our country have orphan trains to begin with? Many people don't even realize they were a part of our history.

"Night after night...I'd send my thoughts to her across the darkness and the distance."

Another part of our history that some Americans would like to forget was the internment camps set up for Japanese-Americans during World War II. Especially with all of the 'history' happening today, a study of this 'decision' would be an interesting one. Jumpstart it with Yoshiko Uchida's The Bracelet(Philomel Books, c. 1993) in which Emi and her family are sent to such a camp. Emi brings with her a bracelet given to her by a best friend, but loses it during the move from barracks to barracks. After watching her family cope with their own losses, Emi realizes that although she's lost the gift, she's not lost the memory of her friend.

Activities involving symbolism open right up with this story. Have kids explore memoir writing -- what is something they have given away or that has been given to them that has stood for more than what it literally was? What is something they have at home that stands for who they are, what they believe in? In what circumstances could they give it away?

If you want to connect this story to the history of the internment camps and make it more visual, show a clip from the film Snow Falling on Cedars (and if you haven't read this book yet, what the heck are you waiting for?). Compare the images of the towers in the background of The Bracelet to the movie -- what do they symbolize? The famous photographer Ansel Adams captured their stark and ominous presence in his own work, although he did so surreptitiously. The photos he secretly took of the towers in the camps capture their real meaning, and the meaning of that time. Contact local stores for a donation of disposable cameras and have your kids find symbols in nature and the world around them. Pictures really can speak a thousand words...

My last word...

Why picture books? Why not? They're short, well-written, beautifully illustrated and not a threat to the struggling or non-motivated teen reader. And the good ones have something meaningful to share in a way that won't make your students feel like they're reading Dr. Seuss.

Stop in your local library or call an elementary school and tell them you're looking for a few great titles. You'll be sent home with more than you can carry. And if you're looking for historical fiction, but geared more toward the teen audience, you have to check out the Dear America series. Practically every topic in US history is covered ‚ even a journal from a boy traveling with the Donner Party... Book-talk that piece of history and you know they'll start reading.

And check out the web at www.fcps.k12.va.us/FranklinMS/research/hisfic.htm to find a listing of historical fiction organized chronologically. Another resource is Lynda G. Adamson's book Literature Connections to American History, 7-12 (Libraries Unlimited, Inc. c. 1998). This comprehensive listing includes the time before 1600, the colonial period, the Revolution, the early states, settling of the West... You get the idea. It is a bit daunting, however; you'll feel like you should to take a year off to get caught up on all the books out there.

That's why I'm wishing for early retirement.

Alternative Network Journal November 2002 Page 20-21

All speeches and articles are copyrighted by, and are the property of, Laurie Thurston, and may not be reprinted without permission of the author.