Dear Teacher,
I’ve taken an alternate approach to my reading ladder, as infographic really doesn’t take the shape of a ladder or pathway at all. I’ve separated the different types of books into their own individual groups, rather than connecting them all together. I figured that even though the books were similar in the common theme that they shared, they had more qualities that were different from each other, so separating them and showcasing their individual qualities would work better.
The theme that I am focusing the books I have chosen around is suffering. This is a part of life that is very dark and seems to consume some of us more than others. I believe that exposing children to these themes at the right time can help them understand the world we live in a little better. Everyone is going to go through tough times at one in point in their lives, so it is important for kids to know what suffering is and how it affects people.
Each book I chose was chosen carefully, and some parts were harder than others. Being the history buff I am, it was easy choosing the books for the non-fiction and graphic novel sections. MAUS is an inspirational illustrated text about the Holocaust that is full of suffering and is taught in conjunction with WW2 to show the horrors that were committed during the time period. The 9/11 Commission Report is the investigation conducted by the US government after the events causing the Twin Towers to fall. Both of these texts are rooted deeply with the theme of suffering in their own separate ways.
The other sections were not as easy. I tend to read a certain type of novel, and books that involve suffering are just not on my radar. I struggled to find books that involved this theme, but eventually I gathered 3 novels that I felt fit the mold. The Tiger Rising, The Book Thief, and Lord of the Flies all involve some sort of suffering on the part of a singular character or a group of characters. I know that in Lord of the Flies it was a little more indirect, but if you look into it enough, you can see where it is embedded. (Let me just say, I hated to put this book in the group considering my extreme dislike for it, but it made the cut somehow).
The picture books were the toughest to find, as most of these kind of books have a happy and jovial vibe to them. I ultimately chose Farewell to Shady Glade, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Is It Because…?, and Harry and Harper. I didn’t connect this category in the infographic because they don’t exactly fit the theme of suffering, but they provide a pathway into learning what suffering really is about. These books show “suffering” in a light that makes it easy for kids to understand. Without these books as stepping stones to books that are a little more dark, children wouldn’t understand how tough life can be for some.
Sincerely,
Connor Wilkins
