Supporting One Another

This week we read two books: Sparkle Boy written by Leslea Newman and illustrated by Maria Mola, and Red: A Crayon's Story written and illustrated by Michael Hall. These books both challenge gender roles and other labels that are commonly used in our society. These labels create division between people who identify differently, and the strain that puts on children is astronomical. When growing up, you are working hard to figure out who you are as a person, and based on the way you were raised this may be very hard for certain kids. These books are great tools to use in the classroom to help children connect the dots to their different identities, but to also teach children that supporting one another is the most important thing you could do.

Sparkle Boy is about a young boy who loves wearing glittery things- skirts, jewelry, and even nail polish. His parents and grandmother all think that it is a great idea for him to express himself, but his sister is reluctant. That is until they go to the public library, and another kid says "that can't be your brother, he is a girl." This is when the boy's older sister steps up to the plate and defends him, saying that he is able to self express in anyway he pleases.

Red: A Crayon's Story is about a crayon that appears to be red on the outside, but is actually blue. All of his peers think something is wrong with him, that he isn't trying hard enough or that he wasn't good at coloring. He is then asked by the Berry crayon do draw an ocean for her boat. He doesn't believe he can do it because he is red, but it turns out that he did the job perfectly. Berry used a different perspective, which gave Red the opportunity to succeed.

I think the detail in both books is exquisite and purposely designed for the story. This is especially prevalent in Red: A Crayon's Story. Michael Hall represented one of the messages of the story through the illustrations: not everything has to be perfect. It is important to know that you can be doing your absolute best and not be everyone else's best. The illustrations in this book look just like a child did them. Coloring out of the lines, sort of messy, and streaks of a texture that looks just like crayon coloring. Children can read this book and think about the drawings not being perfect, or even thinking to themselves "this looks like my drawing." Bringing this relation between the drawing and the reader is important, especially since it will bring the reader closer to this story and learning that it is important to be unique and to appreciate everyone's abilities.

I thought Sparkle Boy was absolutely phenomenal, especially because not many children's books challenge gender roles. As we go further into the twenty-first century, people are becoming more expressive and unique, gender roles play a huge part in this. Something I remember from being a child was learning what boys are best at and what girls are best at, and I have a pretty liberal family. These stereotypes come from society- interactions with others at school, in our media, on the television, and even in books. Any child can come accustomed to believing that there are certain ways boys act and certain ways girls act even if they come from a liberal family. This book is a great resource for children, especially those who feel challenged by who they are and how they can work in our society. I am beyond grateful for this book, especially as a queer woman. I think it is important for children to not only learn about all types of self expression, but to also be able to relate to a child who is going through the same challenges like the boy in this story. This would even be a great tool to use in middle grades, especially since those kids are processing puberty.

These two characters represent a marginalized community. People who do not express themselves directly into the stereotypical "gender roles" and people who are commonly mislabeled. Whether you are on the spectrum or a boy who loves glittery skirts, you deserve to be represented and acknowledged. You deserve support, recognition, and understanding, and thankfully Michael Hall and Leslea Newman created these tools for teaching our students these lessons. Our society has been working on this transition now for several decades, but to progress further into equal living, we have to start teaching the future generations as soon as we can. Teaching them to love one another and support their peers no matter their differences.

I attached Michael Hall's personal webpage and Leslea Newman's personal webpage if you would like to look further into these phenomenal authors!

Hall, M. About. Michael Hall - About. https://www.michaelhallstudio.com/about/about.html.

Newman, L. Lesléa Newman. https://lesleanewman.com/.