Module #7 Inclusive Literature: RULES

RULES

Lord, Cynthia. RULES. 2008. New York: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 9780439443838

Plot Summary

Cynthia Lord takes the reader inside the life of a family with an autistic child autism. It is not easy raising an autistic child. Twelve year-old Catherine makes rules to curb some of David's embarrassing behaviors. A new girl is moving in next door and Catherine is hoping the girl will be the friend she has always wanted. Catherine discovers a friendship while waiting for her brother during his occupational therapy sessions. The summer is full of surprises as Catherine learns she is much like the people she tries to shield her brother from meeting. A very tender and touching story which will ring true with children who have disabled siblings. Yes there are others like me in this world and what is normal anyway?

Critical Analysis

Rules is a touching modern day story that takes place in a suburban area probably middle class close to what I call the country because a pond is nearby. The language is typical of young people in this time period with words like awesome, stinks a big one, gross, whatever. The theme of acceptance, love, and frustration is handled realistically as we see Catherine struggles with her feelings toward her little brother, her family, Jason, Kristi, Ryan and Melissa. The story starts slowly but carries the reader gently through a journey most have never taken. It value to those who have. Lord put her emphasis on the story and the characters and does not give much background or setting details.

This story touches home for me because "I have a niece who is mentally retarded and will live with her parents for her entire life. Life has not been easy, nor has it been normal. Lord does an excellent job of showing us the feelings of Catherine who is "normal" and Jason who cannot speak or walk as well as what life with an autistic brother is like. The constant repetition of statements, not understanding maybe or it depends or I don't know is exasperating for David. He never forgets nor will he let you forget. When his father told him he would pick him up at five 0'clock and then was late David broke down with sobs. "He might not understand some things, but David loves rules." Throughout the story we are privy to some of the rules Catherine has developed for David, but she has also developed rules for herself.

Feelings of frustration are evident in statements like, "Sometimes everyone gets invited except us, and it's because of David" or someone's facial expressions reads, "What's wrong with this kid?" "People stare, or they hurry away, and I know what they're thinking. Oh, isn't that too bad, or Whew, I'm glad that's not me." This is true. I have seen this happen in our family with our niece. She is a kind and loving person but she repeats everything she hears, takes everything as the truth, eats and talks with her mouth full of food, and has trouble getting the words out at times. Some people do not get to know the real person inside, the one who prays for you when you are sick, sends a hand scribbled note when you are down, or calls to check on somebody who has lost a loved one, nor do they know that she likes boys, would like to go on a date, and would like to go to college or have a real job. My niece is six months younger than my daughter. When they were in high school together some of the "cool kids" were making fun of her and my daughter stepped in to "set them straight" about kindness and treating everyone with respect. While reading this book this experience returned to my mind. Fortunately there was a happy ending for my niece in high school.

Lord paints a vivid picture of Catherine's struggles with her brother, Jason, and her family. A special needs child takes more time and attention and it is not always easy for the "normal" child to understand. Catherine goes with her mother to David's appointments just so she can have some alone time with her mother when David is busy with the therapist. Catherine longs for time with her father and states, "Maybe you and I could do something special, too? Just us.?" Then later thinks to herself, "But what about me." I find it interesting that as Catherine begins to grow as a person when she needs her father to come home from work (he never comes home on time) she says, "We matter too."

Lord also provides some depth to the character of Jason. It is not important to know how he "got that way" but to realize he has feeling, desires, hopes and dreams just like everyone else. He wants to run, he wants to dance, and he knows he is missing something when Catherine tells him about bringing up the mud from the bottom of the pond. Her new words with her colorful illustrations give him new ways to express his real feelings. Some people will never understand people with disabilities. Rules, we all have them, we all make them. Others will learn to break their rules and dance like Catherine.

Reviews

The appealing, credible narrator at the heart of Lord's debut novel will draw in readers, s she struggles to find order and balance in her life. As she creates new cards that expand Jason's ability to express his feelings, their growing friendship enables Catherine to do the same. A rewarding story that may well inspire readers to think about others' points of view. - Publishers Weekly

Catherine is an appealing character, acutely self-conscious and torn between her love for her brother and her resentment of his special needs. Middle-grade readers will recognize her longing for acceptance and be intrigued by the exploration of dealing with differences. - Kirkus Reviews

Awards/Connections

Newbery honor Medal

Schneider Family Book Award

Mitten Award (Michigan Library Association)

Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan)

Maine Student Book Award

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award (Vermont)

Kentucky Bluegrass Award

Great Stone Face Award (New Hampshire)

Buckeye Children's Book Award (Ohio)

An ALA Notable Children's Book

A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year

An NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts

IAN'S WALK written by Laurie Lears

WAITING FOR BENJAMIN: A STORY ABOUT AUTISM written by Alexandra Altman

AUTISM AND ME: Sibling Stories written by Ouisie Shapiro

http://www.cynthialord.com/

Module #6 Inclusive Literature: Ask me No Questions

ASK ME NO QUESTIONS

Budhos, Marina. ASK ME NO QUESTIONS. 2007. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781416949206

Plot Summary

Living in New York is quite a daunting experience especially when you are trying to blend in after 9/11 and you are Muslim with expired visas. Nadira and Aisha are typical sisters who quarrel but love each other and their family. They are adjusting to the American way of life. Aisha's life seems to be one of organization with bright plans for a successful future. Nadira seems to drift through high school much to the dismay of her family. When Nadira's father is arrested the tables are turned. Nadira and Aisha try to live as if nothing is wrong. Both girls, especially Aisha begin to see their futures as cloudy and uncertain. Aisha begins to withdraw from everything she loves to become invisible while Nadira gathers the courage to fight her father's battle.

Critical Analysis

The setting is post 9/11 in New York City. Nadira and her family have immigrated from Bangladesh. Several times Nadira takes the reader back to what life was like for her family in her home country, the good and the bad. "Even though we left when I was seven, sometimes if I close my eyes, its as if I were right there. I remember the boroi tree outside our house, the stone wall where Ma slapped the wash dry, the metal cabinet where Abba kept his schoolbooks. Abba carries his stories carefully inside him, like precious glass he cradles next to his heart." This allows the reader to see that life is not the same for people in other countries yet people still have feelings of love for their families and parents want their children to grow up and be successful. Regarding her father's feelings about Aisha Nadira states, "he used to tape her reports to his windshield and boast about his daughter back home who could outdo all the boys. "Nadira describes her homeland as "a land where the earth melts into the sea and back again; where people sing the same songs and eat the same white fleshed hilsa fish, wherever they live."

The author gives us a glimpse of what the Bangladeshi people wore in their country: : "I notice the bottom of her shalwar kameez flutter up around her jacket." Ma's hair is described as "her long braid swinging at her back." When describing her homeland and the women she writes, "In one house lived the unmarried sisters who kept their heads covered and bathed in the river every morning and every evening, and sang as the sky turned violet and the land seemed to shift with the turning tide. In another house lived the brothers, and in the big one were the married couples and the elders. The women swept the mud ground with brooms made of twigs and fished in flat bottomed boats."

Budhos uses names that are customary for Bangladeshi people such as Nadira, Aisha, Abba for father, and Ali-Uncle. Refering to Ali -Uncle Nadira states, "he likes to wear a long kurta and he has a beard and he prays five times a day. Abba and Ma, they do some of the holidays, like they fast for Ramadan, but it's been a long time since I've seen Abba pull out the prayer rug from the closet."

Budhos exposes us to some of the Bangladeshi language by sprinkling the words throughout the text such as a names of foods like biryani, pooris tandoori, and alu gobi.

Budhos uses descriptive language to paint pictures for the reader. "Abba is squeezing the steering wheel, open-shut, open-shut, just like the massage exercises he did after he got hurt on his construction job. He's hunched over, still as a rock, as if he can't make himself move." The story unravels as Nadira begins to find a way to help her father. The slow-witted second born decided not to follow along. Asiha and her father loose their confidence and independence and Nadira and her mother seem to pull together and find the strength and determination to find a way to help when Nadira's father is arrested because his visa has expired and he is suspected of being involved in some type of terrorist activity. The plot moves at a pace to keep the reader engaged and then begins to pick up the pace as Nadira begins to piece together the information needed to secure her father's release. The ending is very powerful with Nadira supplying the information to free her father, Aisha giving her valedictorian speech and putting a face to the word illegal immigrant and the hearing where the judge insists the lawyer does his job. This story hit me like a ton of bricks. The writing is powerful and thought provoking. Even though this is a work of fiction it provides insight to a problem that needs to be discussed. This is a story of a hard working man trying to make life better for his family. As Aisha states, We were the people you did not always see, flashing our polite smiles, trimming hedges, parking your cars in lots, doing the night shift. You needed us and we needed you. Overnight, we, the invisible people, became visible. We became dangerous. We became terrorists, people with bombs in our luggage, poison in our homes. My father just wanted to do the right thing. For us." Now there is a statement that bears discussion.

Reviews

"A moving first-person, preset tense narrative ... Readers will feel the heartbreak, prejudice, kindness, and fear." - Booklist

"Budhos has composed a compelling and thought-provoking contemporary examination of the human side of the law ... she reminds people to think differently about the people around them.' - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Awards/Connections

ALA Best Book for young Adults 2007

ALA Notable Children's Book 2007

Kirkus Review Best Children's Book of 2006

Booklist Editor's Choice 2006

New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age 2006

Module #6 Inclusive Literature: In my Mothers's House

         

IN OUR MOTHERS'S HOUSE

Polacco, Patricia. IN OUR MOTHERS'S HOUSE. 2009. New York: Philomel Books. ISBN  9780399250767

Plot Summary

The narrator, Marmee and Meema's first child, tells the story of her loving family. Two other children Will and Millie are later adopted into Marmee and Meema's non-traditional family. The family lives in a large house nestled in an active neighborhood of friends, except for Mrs. Lockner who disapproves of Marmee and Meema's sexual orientation. The story is not about the disapproval but mainly focuses on the love, laughter, and good times the family shares with each other and their friends.

Critical Analysis

Patricia Polacco portrays her characters Marmee and Meema as strong, independent, educated women who provide a loving home for their three adopted children. Marmee is a paramedic, organizer and a "fixer." Meema is a pediatrician who loves to cook and sew. The children themselves are each from a different background. The narrator has warm dark brown skin with bouncy, curly hair around her head. The narrator states, " They told me how they had walked across dry hot deserts, sailed through turbulent seas, flew over tall mountains and trekked through fierce storms just to bring me home." Illustrations portray Will to be of Asian descent with his black hair, almond shaped eyes and yellow tinted skin. Millie is Caucasian with bright red hair and pink, creamy colored skin. The neighborhood is composed of diversity as will with names like the Mardicians, the Polos, the Yamagakis, the Kiernans,the  Goldsteins, and the Abdullas. The issue of hate from one of the neighbors, Mrs. Lockner is dealt with in the statement, "She is full of fear, sweetie. She is afraid of what she does not understand: and she does not understand us." Marmee and Meema never express ill will toward their neighbor. They (Marmee and Meema) are portrayed as friendly and including when it comes to Mrs. Lockner. This is a modern day story set in a middle class neighborhood. Celebration of holidays means a lot of family and cooking. Their Italian grampa fixes gnocchi, a potato dumpling. Marmee and Meema are busy women raising their family. They make Halloween costumes for their children, sing and dance with the children and share cooking with them, always smiling and happy. No matter the make-up of a family each should strive for love, support and growing children up to be ready to take their place in society. As the narrator states, "From the day we entered our mothers's house, they prepared us for the day that we would leave it."

The illustrations are bright, cheerful and full of diverse colors which is also representative of the story. The busy neighborhood party illustrations support the theme of diversity allowing the reader to see a diversity of people enjoying the tastes of each others favorite foods. "The Mardicians brought stuffed grape leaves and ground lamb. The Polos brought spanakopita and Greek salads."

Reviews

"This gem of a book illustrates how love makes a family, even if it's not a traditional one. Is this an idealized vision of how a gay couple can be accepted by their family and community? Absolutely. But the story serves as a model of inclusiveness for children who" have same-sex parents as well as for children who may have questions about a "different" family in their neighborhood. A lovely book that can help youngsters better understand their world."  - School Library Journal

"Filled with recollections of family holidays, rituals, and special moments, each memory reveals loving insight. The energetic illustrations in pencil and marker, though perhaps not as well-rendered as in some previous works, teem with family activities and neighborhood festivity." -Booklist

Awards/Connections

ANTONIO'S CARD/LA TARJETA DE ANTONIO written by Rigoberto Gonzalez

http://www.childrensbookpress.org/resources/teachers-guides

CHICKEN SUNDAY written by Patricia Polacco

TWO MRS. GIBSONS written by Toyomi Igus

JALAPENO BAGELS written by Natasha Wings

THE SKULL OF TRUTH written by Bruce Coville

Author's web site: www.patriciapolacco.com