ReedALOUD: LOVE

Love is in the air and it is a mighty fine thing.

I feel like I am late to this party with this post, the LOVE-fest kicked off on the 9th of this month and has been capturing hearts ever since.

LOVE  is one beautifully-written and gorgeously-illustrated book. Although to say it is beautiful and gorgeous ignores the significance and and thoughtfulness of the narrative and art. Matt de la Peña and Loren Long have created something stunning and important.

Matt de la Peña's lyrical narrative reminds readers of the universal love that surrounds us from our birth. 

“In the beginning there is light

and two wide-eyed figures standing 
near the foot of your bed

and the sound of their voices is love."

Love reaches us through the songs on a radio in a taxi cab, the spray from a hydrant on a hot day, and the burnt toast prepared by a big brother.

"A cab driver plays love softly on his radio while you bounce in back with the bumps of the city

and everything smells new, 
and it smells like life.”

Loren Long's art portrays this love in vibrant scenes that radiate rays of love light out to the reader, pulling us in and making us feel en-robed in that love.

With tenderness, Matt's words leave space for those who have not always felt this love. He gently invites the reader to consider those harder moments when love feels lost or far away.

"But it's not only stars that flame out, you discover.

It's summers, too.

And friendships.

And people."

Loren takes these moments and with sensitivity invites the reader to consider what it feels like when love feels lost or far away. Some readers will find themselves in these images, others will find their hearts and minds expanded.

In this book and in our lives, LOVE arrives just when we readers need it most, when events in our country are causing many of us to: find ways to talk about events with young children; question how our values fit in; work even harder to protect the human rights of all citizens; find new ways to live out the ideal of a welcoming and pluralistic society.

Reading this book with students is a soothing balm for worried hearts as well as a hope-filled encouragement to venture out into the world, knowing that LOVE is in the air.

Love is an affirmation and an inspiration.

Love is a call to action.

Love is a book that you need to read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There's an additional aspect to this book that is incredibly special. Both Matt and Loren have been sharing moving elements of their lives in articles. You can check them out here:

In this article by Matt in Time, he shared how a question from a young girl made him stop and think about how honest to be with young students when answering questions. Ultimately, here's the answer Matt came to, "If I had the chance to ask Kate DiCamillo anything, it would be this: How honest can an author be with an auditorium full of elementary school kids? How honest should we be with our readers? Is the job of the writer for the very young to tell the truth or preserve innocence?"

In this incredible and hopeful world we do live in, Kate DiCamillo responded in a letter in Time, "I have tried for a long time to figure out how E. B. White did what he did, how he told the truth and made it bearable. And I think that you, with your beautiful book about love, won’t be surprised to learn that the only answer I could come up with was love. E. B. White loved the world. And in loving the world, he told the truth about it — its sorrow, its heartbreak, its devastating beauty. He trusted his readers enough to tell them the truth, and with that truth came comfort and a feeling that we were not alone."

In a NYT article, Loren shared something he had never shared before, that he is colorblind. Here's an excerpt: "Early in my career I kept it secret because I was worried that it would hurt my ability to get hired. If an art director or editor knew I was colorblind, would they want to work with me? I also just didn’t want to call attention to myself, when people have overcome far greater odds than mine. I think of it as an “obstacle” as opposed to a “disability.”

It's all pretty spectacular stuff.

ReedALOUD: Little Tree

The students and I have been reading little tree written and illustrated by Loren Long.

Loren has turned a personal story connected to his son's entrance into kindergarten into a universal story about having the courage to let go.

About little tree:
In the middle of a little forest, there lives a Little Tree who loves his life and the splendid leaves that keep him cool in the heat of long summer days. Life is perfect just the way it is. Autumn arrives, and with it the cool winds that ruffle Little Tree’s leaves. One by one the other trees drop their leaves, facing the cold of winter head on. But not Little Tree—he hugs his leaves as tightly as he can. Year after year Little Tree remains unchanged, despite words of encouragement from a squirrel, a fawn, and a fox, his leaves having long since turned brown and withered. As Little Tree sits in the shadow of the other trees, now grown sturdy and tall as though to touch the sun, he remembers when they were all the same size. And he knows he has an important decision to make.

A few things about this book. I have enjoyed sharing it with all my students, from grades kindergarten through grade five, which speaks of its universality and appeal. The students hear Loren's story seed. Some see the tree as Loren and his son as the leaves. Other students see his son as the tree. It's been interesting to hear their conversations.

I appreciate this line after the little tree has let go of his leaves, "As his last leaf floated to the ground, for the first time Little Tree felt the harsh cold of winter." I used this sentence as an opportunity to remind students that growth and comfort take time and that things will not get easier right away. A good reminder in this instant gratification world that there isn't always a quick fix.

It's important that Little tree let go at his own pace, the gentle concern and encouragement from forest friends was great modeling, but so to was the fact that Little Tree let go when the time was right.

These same friends were their to grow with Little Tree.

We're taking a page (or leaf) from Little Tree and talking about ways to be courageous learners -- to let go so we can let grow.

I was able to meet Loren and share with him how much I love this book. I think you will too.

How will you let grow?