Critical Issues Books (2)

Amazing Grace

Hoffman, M. (1991). Amazing grace. Torriano Ave, London: Frances Lincoln.

ISBN # 0-7112-0699-6

“Amazing Grace” is a book that brings up gender and racial issues. It’s about a girl named Grace who is African-American. She truly enjoys listening to stories and acting them out. One day at school, the teacher tells the children they will perform the play Peter Pan. When Grace puts her hand up to volunteer to be Peter, her classmates remind her that she cannot have the part because she is a girl and she is black. With support from her mother and grandmother, Grace doesn’t lose faith. When she returns to school for the audition for Peter’s part, she did so well that she was given the part. Now, she is reassured that she can do anything she wants if she puts her mind to it.

I would use this book with children 3-5 years old because this is a common age where children sometimes face situations when they are looked down upon/ discouraged by their peers. The images in this book are beautifully illustrated and are big enough to present to a larger group of children at one time. They are made with brilliant watercolours and there is plenty of emphasis on clothing details. I was drawn to the pictures in this book because they look very realistic.

Provocation:
In the week that I would be presenting the story, I would place the different costumes used in the story in the dramatic play area. The children can act out their own characters, explore different costume combinations and be imaginative just like Grace.

Ways to present this book:
1) You can use felt – either make the characters in the story (Grace, mother, grandmother, Natalie, and Raj. These are the characters she is imitating in the story: Joan of Arc, Anansi the spiderman, wooden horse at the gates of Troy, Hannibal crossing the Alps, sailor and parrot, Hiawatha, Mowgli, pantomimes, Dick Whittington, Aladdin, a doctor, a ballerina, and Peter Pan) or check if they are ready-made at 3H Craftworks.
2) You can make puppets – have the main characters and make sure to have all the different costumes of the characters Grace is playing.
3) Tell the story with the children- have each child dress up and play a role of a character Grace is imitating. You can make the costumes yourself by improvising.
4) Read the book before and underline words you think children might not know- for instance: pantomime or persuade. Place sticky notes in pages you want children to stop and wonder. For example, when Grace is being the doctor, ask children “I wonder how Ma and Nana can sit so still.” After Natalie and Raj tell Grace she can’t be Peter Pan, ask “I wonder what Grace feel like.” When Nana takes Grace to a grand theatre, stop and say “I wonder what Nana wants to show Grace.” When the auditions on Monday arrive, I would ask “I wonder if Grace is going to get the Peter Pan part.”

Extensions:
1) Class Discussion- Have a circle time talk with the children on what they like about Grace (ex. She is brave, imaginative, adventurous...etc). After, get into a discussion on the difficulty of standing up to classmates and talk about some ways to deal with these situations/ handle them. (ex. When a classmate is telling you that you can’t go on a slide because you are too short, tell him/her that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.) Ask them how they would have felt/ what they would have done if they were in Grace’s situation.
2) Art- Have children draw/paint themselves as their favourite character. (ex. If a child likes Spiderman, have him/her draw himself/herself with perhaps a Spiderman costume on.)
3) Do a play with the children- decide with them on a book they all like and do a skit/play by having them chose which parts they want to play. Have them pick costumes from the dramatic play area or they can chose to bring a costume they like from home.