Music and History, Part Two

Soldier Song: A True Story of the Civil War
by Debbie Levy
illustrated by Gilbert Ford
Disney Hyperion, 2017
review copy provided by the publisher

"That's amazing!" Zak said, after reading Soldier Song yesterday. "All that happened because of a single song!"

My 5th graders recently completed work on a standard that asked them to describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described. We talked about first- and secondhand accounts. Then in writing workshop, they crafted a piece of narrative nonfiction, blending researched facts (secondhand information) with invented firsthand points of view. I shared this book with them to show that the thinking they'd developed via the reading standard and their own writing are not just standards to study or hoops to jump in school, they are alive in books being published out in the "real world."

In Soldier Song, Debby Levy focuses small, on one standoff of the Civil War -- the battle at Fredricksburg and what happened within both sides and between the two sides via a musical volley across the Rappahannock River. Woven throughout the facts are snippets of actual soldiers' letters and journal entries. The woodcut illustrations perfectly invoke the mood/tone of the story.

Two Picture Books About the Refugee Experience

The Journey
by Francesca Sanna
Flying Eye Books, 2016
review copy from the public library

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family's Journey
by Margriet Ruurs
illustrated by Nizar Ali Badr
Orca Book Publishers, 2016
review copy from the public library


Both of these books depict the refugee experience through art that begs to be examined over and over again. I hope that means that readers will go back to the story over and over again as well, deepening their understanding of this huge worldwide issue of war, displacement, refugees, immigrants, migrants...people who have lost one home and are starting over again in another place.

Both of these books were born out of the author's desire to tell the stories of real people, but both are very careful to make their books not just The One Story of Refugees, but a possible outline of some of the steps and emotions of the journeys of many.

Stepping Stones is written in Arabic and English, inviting a more personal connection for children who rarely (if ever) see their language in print in a book in an American library or classroom. The inclusion of Arabic is yet another stepping stone provided by this story.

Poetry Friday -- War Some of the Time

Found on the website Indexed

War Some of the Time
by Charles Bukowski


when you write a poem it
needn't be intense
it
can be nice and
easy
and you shouldn't necessarily
be
concerned only with things like anger or
love or need;
at any moment the
greatest accomplishment might be to simply
get
up and tap the handle
on that leaking toilet;
I've
done that twice now while typing
this
and now the toilet is
quiet.
to
solve simple problems: that's
the most
satisfying thing, it
gives you a chance and it
gives everything else a chance
too.

we were made to accomplish the easy
things
and made to live through the things
hard.

Now that Franki got me (and apparently most of the rest of her social network) started with the daily news digest theSkimm, I finally feel like I know a bit about what's going on in the world. Unfortunately, most of what's going on in the world seems to be war, now that the World Cup is over. Depressing. I'm with Bukowski. Wiggling the toilet handle or making the perfectly browned piece of toast -- the little things in life -- are keeping me grounded and positive.

Tabatha has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at The Opposite of Indifference.

Another Veteran's Day Coincidence

Salt: A Story of Friendship in a Time of War
by Helen Frost
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, July 23, 2013

review copy provided by the publisher

On Veterans' Day in 2009, quite coincidentally, I read two books about war.

Today, on the eve of Veterans' Day 2013, the book that rose to the top of my TBR pile was, coincidentally, a book about war, and another book by Helen Frost.

SALT is set in 1812, at a small fort in the Indiana Territory -- Fort Wayne. The richness of nature in this setting is vital to the story. The small poems about salt that are sprinkled through the story remind the reader of the long, slow processes of nature and the interconnectedness of the earth and all life on the earth. In nature, salt preserves, salt enriches. Salt in the hands of humans becomes a commodity of power.

James, the American son of the trader at the fort, is friends with Anikwa, a member of the Miami tribe that has lived in the area for centuries. It is stories such as this -- of humanity and the friendships that bridge differences of culture and beliefs -- that give me hope for a species whose history tends to be measured by its wars.

On the other hand, Isaac, son of another American settler at the fort, embodies the worst of humanity. He is suspicious, antagonistic, prone to violence, and kills recklessly and without regret. His character is like salt in a wound.

When the troops arrive at the besieged fort, they bring the horrors of war that persist to this day -- the environment is destroyed, the native people are displaced, and trust between cultures is shattered.

This book doesn't explain the entire history of the War of 1812, but it brings to vivid life one small slice of it. Historical fiction is one way that history comes to life.

But we shouldn't forget that history is alive. History is alive in the memories of the people around us. Tomorrow, on Veterans' Day, we will share the stories of the people in our lives who have served (or are serving) our country in the Armed Forces and we will weave a new story of humanity, high ideals, freedom, and courage.