Literature Exploration: Celebrating the Individuality of Others

LTC 4241

Brittany Chassaniol
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Literature Exploration: Celebrating the Individuality of Others

Andreae, G. (1999). Giraffes Can't Dance. New York: Scholastic Inc.

Giraffes Cant Dance is a lighted-hearted, fictional short story written by Giles Andreae.

Set in the middle of the jungle, this funny story is centered on Gerald, a clumsy giraffe

who is made fun of by other animals in the jungle because he is not good at dancing. As

the rest of the lions, chimps and rhinos celebrate the annual Jungle Dance, Gerald feels

alone and excluded when he is ridiculed for trying to dance due to his tall, skinny frame.

However, upon meeting a friendly cricket, Gerald learns that he does not have to fit in

with the dances of the other animals, as long as he is happy and dancing to the music he

loves. Then, the cricket plays a song on the violin and Gerald begins to dance like never

before. At the end of the story, the other animals are amazed at Geralds amazing

dancing abilities and Gerald is proud of the lessons he has learned.

This story fits well into my collection of literary works celebrating the individuality of

others by relating to differences in the abilities of others. In life, each person has a

unique set of skills that make them who they are. While some people are good at sports

or dancing, others might be expert scientists or talented artists. The major point in this

story is that it is important to recognize each persons unique strengths and not to force

them to conform to the norm. Furthermore, if a person goes about an activity in a

different way than you, it does not make them wrong. These lessons will help children

grow in their acceptance of others and hopefully help them to think twice before they

judge someone else based on their abilities, whether physical, mental or otherwise.

Cuevas, M. (2015). Confessions of an Imaginary Friend. London: Puffin Books.

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Confessions of an Imaginary Friend, a story by Michelle Ceuvas, fits into the genre of a

fictional memoir. The entire book is told from the perspective of Jacques, an imaginary

best friend to his sister, Fleur. However, problems arise early on as Jacques does not

even realize he is imaginary in the first place. Jacques becomes upset at being ignored by

others and forgotten when teams are being picked for sports, but he is even more

devastated to realize this is all because he is not real. Throughout the book, Jacques goes

on little adventures and meets new friends, like an imaginary dog named Merna, as he

attempts to find out who he is and what his purpose is in the world as an imaginary

creature. In the end of the story, after leaving Fleur to find himself, Jacques returns,

several years later to the same house he used to live in. When he sees Fleur, now grown

up into her teens, the two have a heartfelt reunion. The story ends with Jacques finally

realizing his purpose of being there for others in the world.

Though this story is quite different and not as realistic as some of my other selections, I

believe it presents the theme of maturing and finding ones purpose in an intriguing

manner. I chose to incorporate it into my collection because I think Jacques search for

his purpose is a celebration of his changing identity in life. As children mature, their

goals, friends and beliefs on life will continually change at each stage of their lives. This

story does an excellent job of showing kids that while our roles or beliefs may change

throughout life, we all serve a unique and important purpose in the world. While some

children want to grow up to be doctors and others want to become educators, each child

should know their they have a purpose in this world and their role will be cherished no

matter what.

Lovell, P. (2001). Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon. New York: Putnam Pub Group.
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Patty Lovell wrote Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon, a fictional short story, in 2001. The

story, one of two works about the main character, is a popular childrens book that

focuses on confidence and using your abilities and characteristics to your advantage.

Molly Lou Melon, the main character, is a young girl who is abnormally short and

clumsy with huge buckteeth and a voice that sounds like a frog. Despite all of this, Molly

Lous grandma teaches her from a young age to be proud of whom she is and that the

world will love her if she just acts like herself. When Molly Lou moves to a new school,

she quickly finds trouble with the class bully, Ronald Durkin, who makes fun of her for

all of the qualities described above. Yet, rather than let these words tear her down, Molly

Lou is proud of who she is and uses her uniqueness to find success, like using her small

height to squeeze under Ronalds legs and score a touchdown at recess. After several

scenarios like this, Molly Lou proves that children should appreciate their individual

differences, eventually making up with Ronald and becoming friends.

This story redefines the ideals of physical beauty and stresses the importance of children

having confidence in who they are. Especially as children age, they will run into physical

differences such as weight, the appearance of acne, hair color and other factors that make

them unique when compared with their peers. Patty Lovell teaches readers not to be

ashamed of these differences but to be proud of them and use them to find success and

happiness in life. While this story touches mostly on physical factors, the theme of

confidence and self-appreciation can apply to students race, sexual orientation, disability

or any other factor that makes them unique.

Meek, A. (2005). I'm Special, I'm Me. New York: Scholastic Inc.
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Im Special, Im Me, written by Ann Meeks, is an uplifting story about the potential of all

children to do whatever they put their mind to. This work of realistic fiction tells the

story of Milo, a young boy, and his attempts to fit in with his peers in school activities.

Throughout the story, Milo is told multiple times that he cannot play a certain role with

his friends because of the way he looks. Specifically, he is told he cannot be a lion

because he is too weak, he cannot be a pirate because he is too short, he cannot be a

prince because he is not handsome enough and he cannot play an astronaut because he

wears glasses. Despite all of this, Milos mom is always there to support him and

reminds him that even though he might not get to be a prince, he got to play a knight,

showing how brave he must be. In the end of the story, after being turned down so many

times by classmates, Milo finally gets to play his chosen role of being a stingray, bringing

him satisfaction and the realization that he truly can do anything he sets his mind to.

The important message in this story that makes it so appealing for my collection of

stories celebrating the individuality of each person is that perspective can help turn a

negative situation into a positive one. Each time Milo is turned away from the role he

wants, his mom reminds him of the qualities he has that make his new role in class, like a

knight or a monkey, so exciting. This conversation is important to remind students that

just because they may not have the same characteristics as others, they can be who they

want to be through positive attitudes and determination. Students from diverse

socioeconomic statuses, physical skills and mental abilities should read this story and feel

confident in their ability to achieve their goals.

Newman, L. (1989). Heather Has Two Mommies. New York: Alyson Books.
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Heather Has Two Mommies, a piece of illustrated realistic fiction written by Leslea

Newman, tells the story of Heather and her experience having two lesbian mothers on her

first day of school. In the beginning of the story, the author describes Heathers

upbringing, where she happily goes through life with her two mothers by playing sports

with them, building a tree house in the backyard and playing with her dogs. However, it

is not until her first day of school that she realizes it is uncommon to have two mothers as

opposed to a mother and a father. As she looks around the room as the students draw a

picture of their respective families, she notices a wide diversity of family structures,

including traditional mother/father households, families with single moms as well as

those where a brother or grandfather is the primary caretaker of her peers. When

Heathers mothers come to pick her up at the end of the day, she proudly shows them her

drawing and exclaims her immense love for them both as the other students admire the

drawings rather than judge them.

While many books in this collection show the negative consequences of not accepting

others unique characteristics, this story shows a glowing example of how this should be

done. By presenting multiple nontraditional family structures of the students, as

described above, the author does a fantastic job of explaining to readers that not all

students will come from the same background. From here, the author describes a

situation where rather than the students being confused or judgmental of those with

unique families, they instead celebrate each others individuality and appreciate their

peers for who they are. This story tells children that each person will come from their

own unique background, be it family structure, socioeconomic status, etc. However,

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those differences are an important aspect of a persons character and add to the diversity

that helps people to grow.

Palacio, R. J. (2012). Wonder. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Wonder, a fictional childrens novel written by R.J. Palacio, tells the story of a young

boy, Auggie, and his struggles living with a combination of facial deformities. As

Auggie enrolls in a new school, he experiences the power of friendships and the harmful

effects of bullying on behalf of his physical appearance. Over the course of several

months, the physical and mental harassment he faces from friends and enemies alike

causes Auggie to reflect on who his true friends are. Furthermore, his interactions with

his family, especially his loving sister Olivia, expertly demonstrate, through powerful

dialogue, how even our relationships with our loved ones can present difficulties amidst

their devoted support and love for us. Although Auggie faces intense challenges

throughout the story, his strength grows through his own perseverance in the face of

adversity and the book concludes with Auggie possessing an enhanced sense of self-

worth and acceptance of who he is.

When selecting books for my literature exploration projection, Wonder was one of my

first choices, as I believe it excellently aligns with the topic of appreciating the

individuality of oneself and others. For those suffering from physical abnormalities, such

as facial deformities, it can be difficult for these individuals to accept their own unique

beauty due to how recognizable their physical differences may be from their peers.

However, I really enjoyed the message in Wonder because it does not attempt to

downplay the harsh difficulties of conditions like these. Rather, by acknowledging these

challenges, the book goes on to show readers how one can learn to love him or herself by
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accepting their uniqueness and using it as a tool to become a more empowered individual.

I believe this message will speak levels to any reader who may feel alone due to a unique

quality.

Pea, M. D., & Robinson, C. (2015). Last stop on Market Street. London: Puffin.

Matt de la Pea wrote Last Stop on Market Street, an illustrated form of realistic fiction,

in 2015. The award-winning book is all about CJ, a young African-American boy, and

his realization of beauty in life even through less fortunate circumstances. Throughout

the story, CJ travels around town with his grandmother, experiencing several forms of

inequity along the way. Firstly, CJ experiences the effects of his low socioeconomic

status, as he becomes upset at having to walk through the rain to take the public bus home

while he watches his wealthier friends drive home from church in their parents cars. To

this, the grandmother happily replies that the trees also need water and the two enjoy their

bus ride together. Later in the day, CJ sees a blind man, who teaches him how he loves to

listen and smell the world even though he cannot see it. Finally, just as CJ becomes upset

that he does not have an iPod as he sees two boys with them, a man on the bus begins

playing a guitar, helping CJ appreciate his life even if he does not have everything he

wants.

This book does a fantastic job of conveying the theme of being grateful for ones

possessions and finding happiness even if you do not have the same opportunities as

others. For CJ, he mainly sees his lack of opportunity with regards to wealth exposed as

he is forced to take public transportation and cannot afford an iPod. However, his

grandmother and the blind man teach him to appreciate his unique life and not to want for

what he does not have. This is an important lesson for everyone, but can especially relate
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to children who may be from a lower socioeconomic class, a problem evident in almost

any school.

Saunders, C., Priddy, S., & Lennon, K. (2016). Children Just Like Me. NY, NY: DK Publishing.

Children Just Like Me, the updated version of a book published in 1995, is a nonfiction

book detailing the lives of children from countries across the world. Written by

Catherine Saunders, Sam Priddy and Katy Lennon, the book introduces readers to

specific individuals from every continent except Antarctica. Travelling from country to

country, the book outlines information such as customs of the different children, what

they do for fun and what their houses may look like. Additionally, the book contains a

multitude of pictures, ranging from traditional school uniforms to pictures of the

childrens favorite foods. In doing so, the book helps to educate children on the vast

diversity of culture that exists around the world and in the United States from our

immigrant populations.

One of the main reasons I chose this book for my collection is because the nonfiction

adds an informative aspect that is always somewhat lacking in fictional literature. I

believe that allowing children to see and read about children like them across the world

will educate them on how similar people can be even amongst their differences. The

heart of this book is to educate students so that they are more accepting of people of other

cultures. In the United States, this is an important consideration since it is not uncommon

for international students to join American students in the classroom anywhere from

elementary school to college. My goal with this book would be that students enjoy

learning about their international peers and learn not to judge others based on the clothes
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they wear or the accent in their voice, but to accept their unique culture and respect their

individuality.

Thomas, J. C. (2008). The Blacker the Berry. New York, New York: HarperCollins.

The Blacker the Berry is a collection of poems written by Joyce Carol Thomas. The

thirteen poems, with titles such as The Blacker the Berry or Biscuit Brown, are written

from the perspective of African-American children and describe the childs experience

with their unique skin color. The focus of each poem varies with some speaking mainly

on the proud cultural heritage the child associates with being black and others speaking of

how their skin color, whether lighter or darker, is quite different from other members of

the same race. Consistent in all poems, however, is the theme of pride of being African-

American and the internal and external beauty that is associated with this identity.

Compared to other work of literature in the collection, this piece certainly has a more

limited scope in terms of applicability to students. With all of the poems based upon

African-Americans, it may be difficult for some students to connect with some of the

messages in the poems. With that being said, I think it is the duty of the teacher to stress

the importance of the message that it is not necessarily the skin color that defines us, but

the rich history, culture and tradition that is associated with race that we can all cherish

together. Whether ones skin is white or black, light or dark, each person has a unique

story and ancestral heritage that deserves respect and appreciation from others. In

acknowledging and educating one another on this beautiful individuality, people can

learn to combat much of the ignorance that contributes to problems with acceptance in

the world today. Above all, I think this book fits the description of celebrating each
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persons individuality by helping readers feel beautiful in their own skin, whatever color

that may be.

Woodson, J. (2001). The Other Side. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

The Other Side is a massively popular piece of historical fiction set in the pre-Civil rights

era United States, probably around the 1950s. The story, written by Jacqueline

Woodson, outlines the story of an African-American girl and the development of an

unlikely friendship with a white girl over the course of a summer. In the beginning of the

story, the two girls have few interactions, as their homes are separated by a large, wooden

fence that each child has been instructed not to cross. As the summer continues, the two

girls begin to question the forces that keep them apart and eventually begin sitting

together at the top of the fence, despite ridicule from their friends. Near the end of the

story, the duos growing friendship spreads to the rest of the African-American children

near the fence and the group bond through jump roping. At the end, the children

innocently exclaim that someday, someone will tear down the fence that divides them,

showing their understanding of racial segregation.

This sweet story powerfully describes the theme of this entire collection, accepting the

individuality of others. When the two girls become friends over the summer, their

friendship is nearly impossible in the days of racial segregation in America. Yet, these

girls choose not to judge each other based on the color of their skin, but on the quality of

their character. This action provides a phenomenal example to children on how to

interact with their peers. If a person is different than you because they are in a

wheelchair, or because they speak in a different accent, these factors alone dictate

nothing about the quality of the person. I hope that by reading this book, students will
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learn to not be influenced by social stigmas or norms and to accept others and the unique

beauty they possess.