Oh, Brother! is written by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Mike Benny. Through a series of poems, it tells the story of Xavier as he comes to terms with his family expanding and coming to love his new brother.
The book is in the genre of poetry. By the standards in Literature and the Child (Cullinan 2016) for evaluating poetry, this is a great example of a narrative book of poetry for young children. The content has the potential to be interesting to a great many readers - particularly for children who experience gaining step-siblings, but also for children with siblings or friends who don't always get along or feel jealous of each other. The text is written in easy to understand language and the poems make use of several poetic devices. Some poems feature an ABCB rhyme scheme, others onomatopoeia, repetition, simile, metaphor, alliteration, and imagery. Not all poems have all these features, but each has at least one, usually two or three. The poems sometimes have Spanish words as well, adding to the flavor of the poem and representing Xavier's (the narrator's) identity.
This book connects with Element 2 of the Six Elements of Social Justice: Respect for Others. Through the poems, we see how Xavier comes to understand his new brother Christopher, understand Christopher's reasons for the way he behaves, and Xavier's relationship with his biological father. The illustrations add to the story by showing how each brother feels during each poem - one may not be the focus of the poem, but is in the background of illustration showing his feelings about the text. As the book progresses, we see the two brothers move from unfriendly, distant, and mean to laughing, playing, and loving each other.
This book would fit perfectly into a unit on families in the classroom. While there are no shortage of books dealing with divorce, this book shows the positive side of having parents separate. Xavier knows he and his mother are better off without his father living with them, and he gains a new brother and stepfather. That the book is multicultural makes it even better - the diverse students in your classroom will be able to see themselves represented in Xavier's multiracial family. A potential activity to go along with reading the book to students is having students discuss and then act out each poem, taking on the role of one of the characters. This will help children connect the text and illustration to real life, strengthen comprehension, and build empathy for others.
Great book suggestion!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of introducing a positive book regarding divorce and introducing new family members. I wish that I could have read this book when my parents divorced - would have helped me through the situation better. (:
Diversity is indeed important in today's culture with identity and I like how it incorporates Spanish words in the book.
Good job , very clear and detailed, your explanation wake up my curious to read this book. the book have a topic very important to develop in class.
ReplyDeleteGreat! I like that you suggested the book! It is interesting about new brother, also they are diversity. People can become family, which is support system. I want to encourage world people reading the book, including me. Thank you for sharing the book.
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