Read. Imagine. Talk. I'm stealing this "day" from them...Teaching Tolerance Tuesday was created by Jenny to help create dialogues and discussions about literature that will help readers challenge their ideas and beliefs about people different than themselves...one of the basic ideas behind Kane/Miller.
Ziba Came on a Boat, written by Liz Lofthouse with illustrations by Robert Ingpen, should do just that - challenge the reader's ideas about those who flee from their homes, their lives and often times, other family members, to travel to a new land, a place unknown to them other than what has come known to them as a better way to live.
When I first read this book, I was unsure about its appeal. As a parent, I read it with my child in mind, not realizing that these types of dark, haunting stories are just as important to this generation's education as any other book might be. In fact, this book might be even more important for U.S. born children to understand, somewhat, where other children and new neighbors have come from.
I'm pleased that after reading Ziba a dozen more times, I have come to appreciate the beauty behind the illustrations by 1986 Hans Christian Andersen award-winner, Robert Ingpen, as well as the lyrical prose of Liz Lofthouse.
Teachers and librarians have embraced this book for its startling imagery and portrayal of a young girl from Afghanistan, fleeing from the gunfire and - although it is not known for sure - leaving her father behind.
Recently selected as a USBBY Outstanding International Book and a 2008 NCSS Notable Trade Book for Young People, Ziba Came on a Boat is sure to become a classroom textbook for discussions on immigration, diversity and of course, teaching tolerance.
Ziba Came on a Boat, written by Liz Lofthouse with illustrations by Robert Ingpen, should do just that - challenge the reader's ideas about those who flee from their homes, their lives and often times, other family members, to travel to a new land, a place unknown to them other than what has come known to them as a better way to live.
When I first read this book, I was unsure about its appeal. As a parent, I read it with my child in mind, not realizing that these types of dark, haunting stories are just as important to this generation's education as any other book might be. In fact, this book might be even more important for U.S. born children to understand, somewhat, where other children and new neighbors have come from.
I'm pleased that after reading Ziba a dozen more times, I have come to appreciate the beauty behind the illustrations by 1986 Hans Christian Andersen award-winner, Robert Ingpen, as well as the lyrical prose of Liz Lofthouse.
Teachers and librarians have embraced this book for its startling imagery and portrayal of a young girl from Afghanistan, fleeing from the gunfire and - although it is not known for sure - leaving her father behind.
Recently selected as a USBBY Outstanding International Book and a 2008 NCSS Notable Trade Book for Young People, Ziba Came on a Boat is sure to become a classroom textbook for discussions on immigration, diversity and of course, teaching tolerance.
