My oldest son read through It's Not Fair after I purchased it today. Afterwards, he opened to the page where a mother is frowning at her young son who broke a window during some pick up baseball in the backyard. The boy questions his mom (Why don't you yell at her?) as his sister hides behind her mother. My own son pointed out the picture said this is how I feel when I get in trouble all the time and my brothers don't. It is hard to be the oldest. And yes, he does get more than his fair share of talking to's and yelling at's. ( He also just happens to react instead of respond to them as any 11 year old is learning to do.) But his connection to this book made me very glad I was adding it to my classroom library.
This book is filled with rhyme, repetition and questions commonly posed to parents about issues that are often unfair. Like, Why'd I get the smaller half? Why'd he get the bigger laugh? Why does she get brand new shoes? Why does my team always have to lose? It's not fair! I like this book for a number of reasons. I love Amy Krouse Rosenthal (who also happens to be coming to our annual Dublin Literacy Conference...yeah!). She knows kids and how to inspire people. I also like that I can use this book for writing workshop as we study question -answer books and punctuation. It may also help kids think and write about about times when they have felt that life was unfair. It also fits into our classroom library in the book basket filled with texts that have repeating words. So, I know kids can go back to it during reading workshop after I have read it aloud.
Life is filled with unfair but our journey is to figure how to cope, accept and let go when that unfair feeling takes over. I'll end with questions from my own kids about unfair issues they have today.
Why do my brothers always get the computers?
Why can't I not get in trouble for what my brothers do?
Why can't I play two sports at a time?
Why doesn't anyone play what I want to play?
It's not fair!
1 comment:
I'm going to have to get this book! First of all, I connected 100% with having an 11yo who reacts rather than responds. He is my fourth son, so I've been through "11 before" and will make it again. But mostly because this sounds like a great book to talk about with students.
Can't wait to read it...thanks for sharing.
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