This book was a hard read for me. I am sure it was hard for most people to because of the seriousness of this story. The violence was hard anyway to read about and as I was reading it just painted this horrible picture in my head and it is not something I would want to think about or even talk about because it makes me uncomfortable because I think violence is never the answer and Im sure it would make plenty other readers uncomfortable. This book is meant for adults I do not think anyone younger should read this because of how serious this book was. The family’s dynamic is hard because they are not very close and they are divided. The main problem that I thought was when Pete kills Denis. I think this was the main problem because that was his mother’s boyfriend and that just makes the problem even worse. There were plenty of images that stood out to me but the one where the mother signs her kid over to the government that stood out to me the most. The characters were thought out really well and they really were good for the story line. I think this is a good book for people who are not as familiar with drugs and alcohol in the house hold because it gives them perspective.

This definitely was an interesting book but it was not my favorite. I am not much of a reader anyway so for me to go out of my way to read a book is rare. I enjoy a good mystery book and this book was good but I would not go out of my way to read it personally. The story had a good plot and a goos story line. I thought the author did a good job with the characters and how the author was able to get their point across even though it took a little bit to get there. Rose’s confusion and just how vulnerable she was clearly was hard on her and cause her to lash out at her close friend. She was under a lot of stress and caused her to think harshly about other people. All this stress came from her father and mothers bad relationship. I did not think this story went to much into sexuality I thought it was more about her personal life and what she had going on personally. I thought this was more details to fill the story. This books talks about sex and miscarriages and hangouts, this was less of a happy story and more on the sad kind. I think this is book is for more adults not so much children because is was a bit heavy and serious. This color scheme was interesting but as I read this I did not think much about it.

“Aya: Life in Yop City” I did think it was kind of a difficult of a read. I think it was kind of difficult because the author just kept jumping around between characters and it was hard to follow sometimes but it was not terrible. It was about just one story but you had to understand the other side-line stories that came with it. I found this story to be enjoyable after I figured out what was happening. I thought it was fun piecing together the other individual storied to put together the big story. This story is meant to show how these characters just live their lives I do not think it id meant to be optimistic or pessimistic. I say this because we read and understand how it ends and how it comes to its ending but we do not get closure to all of the problems that were happening.

In little communities the family concept is amazing. I personally know this because in my little community family is very important and everyone puts family first. The author really harps on the whole concept about little communities families and how much they care and help each other out and to look out for one another. Examples for this are when the mothers came to stop Bintou’s dad from taking another wife. Moral values came into play here and their community tried to help him.

The author does a great job of expressing emotion through a scene and through the characters. When there are dark the character is usually sad or upset and when the font changes it shows how the story progresses. I really enjoyed and it is actually my favorite how the author was able to just think and be even more creative and express feelings and emotions through colors and font! I thought that was really neat!

Life of Yop City was definitely not what I was anticipating. Right out of the gate it was hitting us as the readers with important and hard situations. In the beginning I thought the book would start off with issues that children would deal with then teens and then adults but I was wrong. It immediately started talking about adult issues. Like Bintou just wanted to dance with a grown man and so she did. Her father was furious and was so upset and wanted to teach her a lesson so he beat her. This was tough to read because these things happen everyday and the way it affects men and women the way that this strips pieces of their humanity and confidence away is just heartbreaking. I never thought of a graphic novel being a serious book that can talk about serious issues. I always thought of it as fictional and meant to be fun or about being bullied and how they over came adversity but I did not expect this from them. Graphic novels are not just for children but adults who are going through something serious and in this case equality! I enjoyed this read and I learned a lot reading it.

I enjoyed “Dare to Disappoint” but graphic novels are still hard for me to read because of all the writing being all over the page. It is kind of hard not reading left to right but up and down and side to side. I liked the message the book was putting out there though. I know I am not much of a graphic novel reader but I can still enjoy the message the book puts out. I believe that this book should be read by 14 and up. The content is a bit harder to comprehend and I do not think a younger audience would understand the book or be mature enough for it. I really enjoyed that the book encourages you to follow your dreams and to just be happy!

All in all I believe Ozge had a good family life. Her mom was very good with her and patient. I know I struggled and to have my mom help me and be patient with me ways everything. It was interesting to see the religious content in the book, we can see that Ozge is in the minority and feels out of place because she is not Muslim. She got the whole class in trouble and hit with a ruler and thats where this desire to destroy the ruler came from. I can imagine hating a ruler just the same because it is upsetting when that it the only thing you think of when you see a ruler.

The religious content of this book was about Turkey and honestly it is way different than the United States. I do not agree with the teacher in the story about how this teacher ignored history and would only show up to teach when the subject was about the history of Islam. I do not know if that was a culture thing but I did not agree with it because it is not fair to the students.

My favorite thing about this text was about how the author wanted Ozge to follow her dreams and how the author wanted her to do what made her happy. I think this is very important because now a days people just follow the motions and do what they are told they don’t want to follow their dreams because they are afraid of failing. So I really liked this about the book.

I enjoyed the reading of the “American Born Chinese” it was definitely an experience! I was not much of a graphic novel reader, so reading this was a little tricky at first. I did however catch on quickly. The way the book was written for sure made it easier to read. The range for readers I think would be maybe be 12 and up. Im not sure if anyone younger would want to read it because of how difficult the read was and it might not be as interesting to a younger audience. Teenagers would probably enjoy this read more than any 8 year old would! I think the older audience would relate better and like it better.

I think being okay with who you are and comfortable in your own skin is one of the bigger lessons here. Especially since Jin has to accept who he is. The monkey king also had to figure this out for himself as well. This is a great read for people who struggle with their self images.

I think this book will help with being who you are and to be understanding. This is important because it will help readers with being okay in their own skin and and that being a bit different and having a different culture is normal and that they have to be okay with who they are! It is good to learn about different cultures because not everyone is from the same culture and people have all different types of life styles.

Delaney Day

Dr Neely

University of Cincinnati

September 22, 2020

Sources

“Biography & Timeline.” Nelson Mandela Foundation, http://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/biography-timeline.

This site is all about the Nelson Mandela. It gives us all different types of information about him. Like where he was born and who his parents were. His gives us a breakdown about who Nelson Mandela was. The sources audience is for people of all different ages wanting information about who Nelson Mandela was. The authors other related works are about his life and times he had. I thought this was interesting because I wanted to get to know the author and what he was like. I found out he was a very public figure to his people. He wanted to contribute to his people who were struggling during the war. I found out his primary school teacher gave him the name Nelson because that was how their culture did things. Teachers gave them “Christian” names. He was a well educated man and had his degree for a Bachelor of Arts. He joined in politics and was married to Evelyn Mase who was a nurse.

September 21, 2020, et al. “Here Are 10 of Nelson Mandela’s Most Inspirational Quotes.” The European Sting – Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology – Europeansting.com, 19 July 2019, europeansting.com/2019/07/19/here-are-10-of-nelson-mandelas-most-inspirational-quotes/.

This article is a few of Nelson Mandela’s famous quotes. These quotes happen to be some of his most inspirational quotes. He was a very influential man in the public eye, many people looked up to him and still do. The audience for this cite would be people who need to be inspired. This could be for students doing reports on him. The authors other related works are “true symbol of human greatness’, celebrated on centenary of his birth.” I think theses quotes Nelson talks about are the most import thing. I think this because we kind of have an idea what he was thinking and what could’ve went into his thought process when writing his book. He wants people to hear that “Nothing’s impossible” and that they can “Make a difference.” He wants people to “Be optimistic” and I think all these quotes reflect in his work. Not only is he telling people this but he incorporates this into his writing for children! He wants them to understand these virtues.

Sage. “Scholarly Reflections on the Legacy of Nelson Mandela.” A Space to Explore, Share and Shape the Issues Facing Social and Behavioral Scientists, 17 July 2014, http://www.socialsciencespace.com/2014/07/scholarly-reflections-on-the-legacy-of-nelson-mandela/.

This site writes about Nelson’s legacy. It brings to light all the good he has done with his life. It also is about his scholars. This audience that will read this would again be for students or teachers doing research on him or for people who are curious what his legacy was in this authors mind. Other related articles are about “Jennifer Richeson to Receive SAGE-CASBS Awards. This article is about some of his accomplishments. I found out through this article that five years ago that United Nations General Assembly decided to recognize July 18th as Nelson Mandela International Day. This helped me to see that he was a very influential and that if his name is on something that it was on importance to his work. He was a very driven man and practiced what he peached. He did not make up stories to just make them up for fun. He had a lesson that was within the story.

Colours of Us. “9 Children’s Books about Nelson Mandela & Desmond Tutu.” Colours of Us, 24 May 2018, coloursofus.com/childrens-books-nelson-mandela-desmond-tutu/.

This article is about his nine different children books. I though this would be good because he has nine successful children’s books. The audience for this site could be for teachers and for parents wanting to have a good idea about the different children books he has written. Other related books are by Desmond Tutu. This site shows the books and the cover of the books. It has the information about the book underneath its picture. I think this is important so people can see about the book and what it looks like prior to buying it. I also think this site is neat because it has the website of where you can order the book online. This is important because no a days it can be really tricky going to a bookstore and looking for the book and the store not have it. Online you can see if they have any in stock and what the price will be and when it will be shipped/arrive.

Areeba in Alliance for Positive Youth Development, General Information. “Nelson Mandela: Role Model for Youth.” Go Back to the Front Page, notenoughgood.com/2011/07/nelson-mandela-and-youth/.

This article talks about why he was a good role model. It gives dates and years and just talks about his good credited self. It also speaks about his ethnicity. This article could be used by parents teachers and students also researchers. It is related to “Beyond Good Ideas Foundations” along with many more other articles. This article is important because if he is the author of a children’s book he needs to be a good person. He should be someone child and adults look up to. He needs to be relatable if he wants to be a good author for children. This article proves that, it talks about some of his achievements as being know as the first black president of South Africa. He was a charitable man and helped with human rights efforts. He raised awareness and prevention of AIDS/HIV. He wanted to better the lives of young people.

“Why Nelson Mandela Was A Great Leader.” Ray Williams, 16 June 2018, raywilliams.ca/why-nelson-mandela-was-a-great-leader/.

I think to be a good leader and to be well known you have to be a good leader. Nelson was a good leader for many reasons. He was a good leader because he had the peoples respect. Readers for this article could be people wanting to become a better leader. Doesn’t matter for what role but to be successful. The article’s author’s related to book is “Eye of the Storm”. Being a leader is difficult. Being a good leader is ever harder. Getting peoples attention was what Nelson did. He was a controversial leader. He at first advocated violence to achieve his political ends. Martin Luther King Jr tried it the non-violent way and Nelson did not believe that would work. He pushed a few boundaries but in the end was able to reach his people and become a good leader.

Kelly, Stuart. “Nelson Mandela’s Literary Legacy.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 Dec. 2013, http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/10/nelson-mandela-literary-legacy.

I looked up why Nelson was a good writer. I wanted to know what it was that made it so special. I was curious how he was so successful with his books. The articles readers would be people who wants to know what it takes to be a successful writer. Other related stories are “Nelson Mandela’s unpublished prison letters are full of life and love”. This is important to know because he was so well know and he was able to take his knowledge and his platform to make children’s books. He is being a influencer in children’s lives and he needs to know how to help children grow and I think his learning to be a successful writer is very important. Its also important for Nelson to incorporate his South African culture to his writing. This can only help other children grow and learn more about the world. It is important for children to learn about other cultures.

Bundy, Colin J., and Randolph Vigne. “Cultural Life.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 Sept. 2020, http://www.britannica.com/place/South-Africa/Cultural-life.

This article is about South African culture. It talks about traditions and economics. This is important to know about the culture. The readers for this article would be people wanting to learn about the culture or students with projects. The author’s experience is from going to South Africa to do the research and from learning about the culture. This article is all about their traditions and and family life. It talks about the art the country has and what is means. There is plenty of information about the music and what it means to them. There is also information on this site about their literature. This is important for readers to understand because when reading “Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales” that people can understand the culture.

Folk Tale – Description of Story Elements and Quality Characteristics, http://www.homeofbob.com/literature/genre/fiction/folktales/elements.html.

This article describes what a folktale is. Folktales can be confused and it is important for readers to know what a folktale is to understand the story. It goes over different elements to a folktale. Readers for this article would be people who want to know more information about what a folktale is and what it entails. It can be related to a Dr. Robert Sweetland’s. This is very important to understand. It is important because you don’t want to think you are reading a nonfiction book when in reality it is a folktale. You want to understand what you read that way you can learn from it. This article talks about themes and the settings which are all important factors. It gives you information on characterization and what a hero is and how there are different styles to writing. This all good information to know about a folktale.

“How to Write a Children’s Book in 12 Steps (From an Editor).” Bookfox, 14 Sept. 2020, thejohnfox.com/2019/02/how-to-write-a-childrens-book/.

Writing a children’s book is important. You are shaping the minds of our youth. This will help children grown and learn and understand right from wring. Readers of this article will be people and writers trying to write their own children’s book. Other books related to this article are “Children’s Book Editor” and “Two Weeks To Your Best Children’s Book”. Knowing what goes into a children’s book is important to understand. We need to know if it is just a bunch of made up stories or if it will teach children lessons. Culture is also a big part to a child’s book. If kids are never exposed to different people and races how will the ever learn it. This article helps you learn how to generate a concept and to make main characters that kids will love. It also helps with structure plot and how to revise and publish. It is a very informative site.

hejyork, Author. “Animals in Children’s Literature.” Unlocking Words, 7 Oct. 2017, unlockingwords.wordpress.com/2017/10/23/animals-in-childrens-literature/.

Animals can be very power full in the minds of children. It also keeps them engaged in the story. Kids tend to love animals and that’s why they are used so often in children’s books. Some readers for this articles could be concerned parents and maybe even teacher. A related link is Children’s Animal Tales from British Library Most common found animals in stories are dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, mice, wolves, foxes and bears. They use these animals because they are most common in kids lives. Kid will have seen these animals in there lives. Which will hook their attention because they can relate the story to their animal at home or that they have seen before. Animals have their own behavior and character. The dog is faithful and the wolf is the big bad guy. They each play a role in the story.

“Recommended Reading: Books to Build Character & Teach Your Child Important Values.” HealthyChildren.org, http://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/emotional-wellness/Building-Resilience/Pages/Books-to-Build-Character-Teach-Important-Values.aspx.

Moral values are important to teach to children. Kids need to understand right from wrong. They learn this young and they tend to understand better through children’s books because of the story. The readers of this article will be writers themselves, parents, and teachers. This is related to Dr. Navsaria and can also be related to “Help Your Child Enjoy Reading Aloud: Tips for Parents.” Kids are read these children’s books while they are at school and also before bed. They give children the understanding from right and wrong and good and evil. It teaches them how to be kind to each other. How to make friends and learn different cultures. These books are great to talk about certain issues. They can also help them understand family values and different morals.

Introduction

I chose these different articles because in some way they all relate to the story “Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales.” I did a lot of research on Nelson. I wanted to know why he was such a great person for these children’s books. Nelson was a great role model for his country. He spoke up and was not afraid to speak the truth. He wanted a better place for everyone. He wanted justice. He wanted so many things and he did a lot with the platform he had. He chose to do charity work. Nelson was a great man to be a children’s book author. He was also a great role model.

I also looked at other sites besides just Nelson. I looked into what it took to write a children’s book. It is not rocket science but you do need to have an idea of what you want children to learn from the book. Kids are like sponges. The can hear the teacher and or parent read them that story and pick up the good from the bad and the right from the wrong.

Reading Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales was very fun and engaging. This book has the culture and the stories a young child will love. Children do not always read about other cultures. They often read stories of their own culture. To have children reading other stories about different cultures is very important. It is important because they need to understand that it is not just their culture out there. That there are hundreds of other cultures in the world. No they do not need to know every single one of them but they should have a wide enough variety to grasp the concept.

            Nelson Mandela was a black man who wanted equality. He was a very public figure and has had a day dedicated to him. He was a great family man and a wonderful role model for children. Yes, it is true he did not take the peaceful approach as Martin Luther King Jr. did but he wanted the same thing. He just went about it a different way, he thought violence was the way to do it. With this tough it did land him some time behind bars. Even though he hit plenty of bumps and turned on his path to equality he still never stopped fighting for it. He wanted the best for his people and did not rest until he got it. He made plenty of public appearances and gave hundreds of speeches.

            Children’s books are very important for our youth. This is how they learn and grow. If they grow up never reading another book with someone of color they will not understand that there are people in the world that do not always look like them, or act like them because they were raised in a different way. Children learn moral values. Like “the big bad wolf” how the wolf was stealing and how it was wrong. Or how in “The Lion, The Hare, And The Hyena” that the hyena was trying to use the hare and the lion for food. Also they learn to be kind to their friends and help them just like how the hare saw that the Lion was hurt and he stopped to help him and he nursed the lion back to health and in doing so nothing but good things came his way. The hare got food, a safe place to live and he even got to open up his own “clinic” because the lion told everyone about him and how he saved him! Children pick up on things like that even when it is just in a story because the story is giving those examples on what is right and what is wrong. They also tell them that it is important to help people when they are in trouble and to do the right things. The parents or legal guardians are able to talk about the story they just read and break it down and talk with the child about what was good in the story and what was bad in the story, so that the children understand the author was trying to get a cross. At their age they are like sponges and they just about pick up on anything. Children relate better to animals in their stories because it is more likely than not that they have encountered them within their short life or know about them.  Children are resilient and will come through just about anything. They often draw pictures to help them and in doing so they pick the things that are relevant in their lives to draw about, for example, pets, parents, family, friends, and teachers, or their favorite toys.  Children tend to mimic what they see or read. They want to act just like mom or dad or Spiderman or Princesses. It is natural but it means they look up to them and want to be like them. That is why children’s books are so important in children’s lives because of how influential they are and can be.

            Writing a children’s book is not rocket science but it definitely takes some work. The author needs to keep the children in mind throughout the whole process. Yes it can be funny to throw in adult humor in but it honestly shouldn’t because if the child asks what it means or why is that so funny it will make it awkward for parents and guardians to explain and or lie about. They should simply just stick to the way the book should be written and think about how it will affect the child and how it will help them grow. Writing a children’s book you need themes and characters, and a good plot with good and easy to read dialog. You need the characters to be easily relatable and something kids will like. You want to make them laugh but at the same time still teach them important lessons. You want kids to look at the pictures drawn in the books and like them because that is something else that keeps kids involved in the readings. They love to look at the pictures in the books. I know for me especially as a child that was my favorite part about a book was the pictures. It can be fun to write a children’s book but it also takes a lot of work especially if you want the children who read it to learn from it!

            Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales is generally a good book for kids. There are plenty of stories within the book with plenty of important lessons for children to learn! It is important however that children understand that these stories are just folktales that it is not a nonfiction book. Children need to realize that these stories are not extremely real. They need to understand the difference from folktales and from nonfiction so they do not get the wrong idea. Yes they can believe that certain aspects of the stories are real but they need to understand that they are made up. They should have the knowledge and understanding that they are just a bit different. Parents should also know the difference so that when their child asks them about it they can explain the difference between them too.

            Children’s books are important and need to have underlying lessons within them so that children can grow and learn and Nelson Mandela completely understood that!

~ Delaney Day 

Delaney Day

Dr Neely

University of Cincinnati

September 22, 2020

Sources

“Biography & Timeline.” Nelson Mandela Foundation, http://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/biography-timeline.

This site is all about the Nelson Mandela. It gives us all different types of information about him. Like where he was born and who his parents were. His gives us a breakdown about who Nelson Mandela was. The sources audience is for people of all different ages wanting information about who Nelson Mandela was. The authors other related works are about his life and times he had. I thought this was interesting because I wanted to get to know the author and what he was like. I found out he was a very public figure to his people. He wanted to contribute to his people who were struggling during the war. I found out his primary school teacher gave him the name Nelson because that was how their culture did things. Teachers gave them “Christian” names. He was a well educated man and had his degree for a Bachelor of Arts. He joined in politics and was married to Evelyn Mase who was a nurse.

September 21, 2020, et al. “Here Are 10 of Nelson Mandela’s Most Inspirational Quotes.” The European Sting – Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology – Europeansting.com, 19 July 2019, europeansting.com/2019/07/19/here-are-10-of-nelson-mandelas-most-inspirational-quotes/.

This article is a few of Nelson Mandela’s famous quotes. These quotes happen to be some of his most inspirational quotes. He was a very influential man in the public eye, many people looked up to him and still do. The audience for this cite would be people who need to be inspired. This could be for students doing reports on him. The authors other related works are “true symbol of human greatness’, celebrated on centenary of his birth.” I think theses quotes Nelson talks about are the most import thing. I think this because we kind of have an idea what he was thinking and what could’ve went into his thought process when writing his book. He wants people to hear that “Nothing’s impossible” and that they can “Make a difference.” He wants people to “Be optimistic” and I think all these quotes reflect in his work. Not only is he telling people this but he incorporates this into his writing for children! He wants them to understand these virtues.

Sage. “Scholarly Reflections on the Legacy of Nelson Mandela.” A Space to Explore, Share and Shape the Issues Facing Social and Behavioral Scientists, 17 July 2014, http://www.socialsciencespace.com/2014/07/scholarly-reflections-on-the-legacy-of-nelson-mandela/.

This site writes about Nelson’s legacy. It brings to light all the good he has done with his life. It also is about his scholars. This audience that will read this would again be for students or teachers doing research on him or for people who are curious what his legacy was in this authors mind. Other related articles are about “Jennifer Richeson to Receive SAGE-CASBS Awards. This article is about some of his accomplishments. I found out through this article that five years ago that United Nations General Assembly decided to recognize July 18th as Nelson Mandela International Day. This helped me to see that he was a very influential and that if his name is on something that it was on importance to his work. He was a very driven man and practiced what he peached. He did not make up stories to just make them up for fun. He had a lesson that was within the story.

Colours of Us. “9 Children’s Books about Nelson Mandela & Desmond Tutu.” Colours of Us, 24 May 2018, coloursofus.com/childrens-books-nelson-mandela-desmond-tutu/.

This article is about his nine different children books. I though this would be good because he has nine successful children’s books. The audience for this site could be for teachers and for parents wanting to have a good idea about the different children books he has written. Other related books are by Desmond Tutu. This site shows the books and the cover of the books. It has the information about the book underneath its picture. I think this is important so people can see about the book and what it looks like prior to buying it. I also think this site is neat because it has the website of where you can order the book online. This is important because no a days it can be really tricky going to a bookstore and looking for the book and the store not have it. Online you can see if they have any in stock and what the price will be and when it will be shipped/arrive.

Areeba in Alliance for Positive Youth Development, General Information. “Nelson Mandela: Role Model for Youth.” Go Back to the Front Page, notenoughgood.com/2011/07/nelson-mandela-and-youth/.

This article talks about why he was a good role model. It gives dates and years and just talks about his good credited self. It also speaks about his ethnicity. This article could be used by parents teachers and students also researchers. It is related to “Beyond Good Ideas Foundations” along with many more other articles. This article is important because if he is the author of a children’s book he needs to be a good person. He should be someone child and adults look up to. He needs to be relatable if he wants to be a good author for children. This article proves that, it talks about some of his achievements as being know as the first black president of South Africa. He was a charitable man and helped with human rights efforts. He raised awareness and prevention of AIDS/HIV. He wanted to better the lives of young people.

“Why Nelson Mandela Was A Great Leader.” Ray Williams, 16 June 2018, raywilliams.ca/why-nelson-mandela-was-a-great-leader/.

I think to be a good leader and to be well known you have to be a good leader. Nelson was a good leader for many reasons. He was a good leader because he had the peoples respect. Readers for this article could be people wanting to become a better leader. Doesn’t matter for what role but to be successful. The article’s author’s related to book is “Eye of the Storm”. Being a leader is difficult. Being a good leader is ever harder. Getting peoples attention was what Nelson did. He was a controversial leader. He at first advocated violence to achieve his political ends. Martin Luther King Jr tried it the non-violent way and Nelson did not believe that would work. He pushed a few boundaries but in the end was able to reach his people and become a good leader.

Kelly, Stuart. “Nelson Mandela’s Literary Legacy.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 Dec. 2013, http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/10/nelson-mandela-literary-legacy.

I looked up why Nelson was a good writer. I wanted to know what it was that made it so special. I was curious how he was so successful with his books. The articles readers would be people who wants to know what it takes to be a successful writer. Other related stories are “Nelson Mandela’s unpublished prison letters are full of life and love”. This is important to know because he was so well know and he was able to take his knowledge and his platform to make children’s books. He is being a influencer in children’s lives and he needs to know how to help children grow and I think his learning to be a successful writer is very important. Its also important for Nelson to incorporate his South African culture to his writing. This can only help other children grow and learn more about the world. It is important for children to learn about other cultures.

Bundy, Colin J., and Randolph Vigne. “Cultural Life.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 Sept. 2020, http://www.britannica.com/place/South-Africa/Cultural-life.

This article is about South African culture. It talks about traditions and economics. This is important to know about the culture. The readers for this article would be people wanting to learn about the culture or students with projects. The author’s experience is from going to South Africa to do the research and from learning about the culture. This article is all about their traditions and and family life. It talks about the art the country has and what is means. There is plenty of information about the music and what it means to them. There is also information on this site about their literature. This is important for readers to understand because when reading “Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales” that people can understand the culture.

Folk Tale – Description of Story Elements and Quality Characteristics, http://www.homeofbob.com/literature/genre/fiction/folktales/elements.html.

This article describes what a folktale is. Folktales can be confused and it is important for readers to know what a folktale is to understand the story. It goes over different elements to a folktale. Readers for this article would be people who want to know more information about what a folktale is and what it entails. It can be related to a Dr. Robert Sweetland’s. This is very important to understand. It is important because you don’t want to think you are reading a nonfiction book when in reality it is a folktale. You want to understand what you read that way you can learn from it. This article talks about themes and the settings which are all important factors. It gives you information on characterization and what a hero is and how there are different styles to writing. This all good information to know about a folktale.

“How to Write a Children’s Book in 12 Steps (From an Editor).” Bookfox, 14 Sept. 2020, thejohnfox.com/2019/02/how-to-write-a-childrens-book/.

Writing a children’s book is important. You are shaping the minds of our youth. This will help children grown and learn and understand right from wring. Readers of this article will be people and writers trying to write their own children’s book. Other books related to this article are “Children’s Book Editor” and “Two Weeks To Your Best Children’s Book”. Knowing what goes into a children’s book is important to understand. We need to know if it is just a bunch of made up stories or if it will teach children lessons. Culture is also a big part to a child’s book. If kids are never exposed to different people and races how will the ever learn it. This article helps you learn how to generate a concept and to make main characters that kids will love. It also helps with structure plot and how to revise and publish. It is a very informative site.

hejyork, Author. “Animals in Children’s Literature.” Unlocking Words, 7 Oct. 2017, unlockingwords.wordpress.com/2017/10/23/animals-in-childrens-literature/.

Animals can be very power full in the minds of children. It also keeps them engaged in the story. Kids tend to love animals and that’s why they are used so often in children’s books. Some readers for this articles could be concerned parents and maybe even teacher. A related link is Children’s Animal Tales from British Library Most common found animals in stories are dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, mice, wolves, foxes and bears. They use these animals because they are most common in kids lives. Kid will have seen these animals in there lives. Which will hook their attention because they can relate the story to their animal at home or that they have seen before. Animals have their own behavior and character. The dog is faithful and the wolf is the big bad guy. They each play a role in the story.

“Recommended Reading: Books to Build Character & Teach Your Child Important Values.” HealthyChildren.org, http://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/emotional-wellness/Building-Resilience/Pages/Books-to-Build-Character-Teach-Important-Values.aspx.

Moral values are important to teach to children. Kids need to understand right from wrong. They learn this young and they tend to understand better through children’s books because of the story. The readers of this article will be writers themselves, parents, and teachers. This is related to Dr. Navsaria and can also be related to “Help Your Child Enjoy Reading Aloud: Tips for Parents.” Kids are read these children’s books while they are at school and also before bed. They give children the understanding from right and wrong and good and evil. It teaches them how to be kind to each other. How to make friends and learn different cultures. These books are great to talk about certain issues. They can also help them understand family values and different morals.

Introduction

I chose these different articles because in some way they all relate to the story “Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales.” I did a lot of research on Nelson. I wanted to know why he was such a great person for these children’s books. Nelson was a great role model for his country. He spoke up and was not afraid to speak the truth. He wanted a better place for everyone. He wanted justice. He wanted so many things and he did a lot with the platform he had. He chose to do charity work. Nelson was a great man to be a children’s book author. He was also a great role model.

I also looked at other sites besides just Nelson. I looked into what it took to write a children’s book. It is not rocket science but you do need to have an idea of what you want children to learn from the book. Kids are like sponges. The can hear the teacher and or parent read them that story and pick up the good from the bad and the right from the wrong.

The story I chose is “The Lion, the Hare, and the hyena”. This was a short story but I think it had a strong message behind it. It was basically short and to the point. A quick summary of this story is the lion got hurt badly and could not use his leg and started to starve to death. Then the hare was going running and saw the lion in trouble. He stopped and nursed him back to health. Once he was healthy enough the lion started to help out with the food situation and pulled his own weight. Then bones started to pile up outside his den and a hyena was curious and wanted in on it. The hyena tried to become friends with the lion so he could get apart of the food. In doing so he tried to trick the lion that the hare was not helping him all the way and when the hare heard this he did not like it and set the record straight. He said that because of how small he was he could not get all the stuff he needs to fully help him and then the hare said he need the skin of a hyena to wrap around his leg and the lion pounced on the lying hyena and ripped the skin off his back and his leg was healed in a weeks time.

I think the moral lesson here is to not be misleading and untruthful. They hyena was only lying and caring to check in on the lion for his own self benefit. He wanted food and did not care at all about the lions health. Another lesson that I saw within this story was how to be kind to others, just like how the hare went out of his way to help the lion. With him helping the lion it did benefit him because he gained a friend within the lion, the lion told people about the hare and the hare became well know as a good doctor.

An alternate ending to this story is that the hyena never tried to lie and that he checked on the lion when it had been a week without seeing him and he was a true friend. Then both the hyena and the hare where able to help the lion. The lion regain the use of his leg way sooner and they all learn to work together and help each other out.

My favorite story from “Favorite African Folktales” is “The lion, the hare, and they hyena”. I like how is it about friends helping one another and you find out who are your real friends are and who aren’t.

My favorite story from “Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship” is the story of “The Greedy Moneylender.” This is my favorite story because of the Veera and Suku, and the lesson it tells that being greedy can lead to foolishness and can hurt a community. This was a very valuable lesson that can impact readers.

Some quotes I took away from the story. “Eventually he began to realize that companionship had its advantages.” pg 40 “..Sunguru (the hare) realizedthat the lion was starving.” pg 40 ” I am led to believe that the wound on your leg is making poor progress, due to the underhanded treatment that you are receiving from your so-called friend Sunguru. pg 41

One theme we noticed was individuality. Throughout the stories we read in “The Tales of Our Abuelitas” and “Chinese Fables” it was evident that many stories reflected on the differences we each have. No matter who you are, we are all different living together in the same world. We should celebrate our differences and understand that not everyone is a copy and paste form of one another. The theme of individuality is evident in “A small gift” You never know when things (small or big) can come in handy. Don’t underestimate others or yourself. (The country boy knew he had a loud voice, the students didn’t see value in this, however, the wise teacher knew the country boy had potential and would come in handy to teach a lesson to the other students.) Another example is from the story, “The Goat from The Hills and the Mountains” – In the story, there is a goat eating from a family’s field and none of the family members or the local soldiers can make the goat move because the goat keeps threatening to eat the family members. Then, an ant comes along and is able to scare the goat away. The ant exemplifies the theme of individuality because even though he’s a small ant that can’t do much, he is able to scare the goat away when no one else could. Additionally, our final example of individuality is expressed through, “What’s in a Name” Be original, everyone else is taken. There is a little brother who has a cat. He named him tiger cat and his big brother kept messing with him about it because it was not a tiger. Then the little brother decided to have friends over and they all gave him their opinions on what he should name the cat. The little brother was so overwhelmed about what everyone else thought he decided to name the cat “Cat” not for his friends or for his brother but for himself. 

We want to do a culture recast of “Cooking the Duck”. We plan to do it from the current American controversial issue within the relation of the global pandemic, and the culture of Cincinnati. In America we have the freedom of speech according to our first amendment rights. Two brothers drive up to the only restaurant open late during this global pandemic (Skyline), however, they have a limited amount of time to eat before the restaurant closes. The restaurant, Skyline, requires a mask to be worn inside before being seated, for the safety of others. Each brother has their own personal opinion and reasons for wearing the masks or not to wear the masks into the restaurant. They continue to argue back and forth within their car, one argues that it is safe and wants to follow the rules, one argues that they are being controlled and has nothing to do with them getting a quick late night bite. Due to their constant bickering, they never made it inside of the restaurant. The lot lights of the restaurant turn off, leaving the brothers sitting in the dark. Never coming to a resolution. The restaurant is closed, and the two brothers are left in their starvation and anger at one another. 

2-5 Themes: 

-Ignorance

-Moral Reasoning 

-Individuality 

-Survival/Adaptability  

Ignorance:

“Cooking the Duck”- There are two brothers in this story and their ignorance cost them a meal. They were too busy bickering over which way was better to cook a duck that when trying to catch the duck it flew away because they were too loud and not focused on catching their own food. They were already trying to decide which way to prepare the duck before they even had the duck and because of that they lost the duck. 

“Juan ‘Bobo”- Juan is just a boy in this story. He is a boy who loves his mama and wants to help in any way he can but no matter how hard he tries he always finds a way to mess it up. Either by ruining mama’s pot or losing a pig or not using a bucket to get water. He tries so hard but he just was not able to do it without messing up. Until one day mama asked him to ride the burro to get firewood and he sat in the barn all day because the barn was filled with wood and mama finally found him something to do everyday because that was one thing he could not mess up. 

Moral Reasoning: 

“The Bird of One Thousand Colors”- A overly confident turkey believes that he deserves beautiful feathers in order to be king. A small, beautiful bird allows the turkey to borrow its feathers as long as they are back by Monday. The turkey becomes king but then refuses to give back the feathers to the original owner. This makes the small bird very upset and embarrassed. The other bird of the first learns that the small bird no longer has its beautiful feathers and so each bird gives the small bird one of their most beautiful feathers. The other bird thought that what the turkey did (even though they didn’t know it was the turkey) was awful and questioned “who could do such a thing”. This story questions the turkeys reasoning as to why he would be greedy and not give back what was graciously lent to him. 

“Martina Martinez and Perez the Mouse”- In this story Martina has multiple different animals approach her and ask for her hand in marriage, she rejects them all other than Perez the mouse. One evening Martina is making a large pot of soup to have when the newlyweds have their friends over for dinner. Perez falls into the soup, and right away Marinta does not help him out of the soup, but instead freaks out and gains sympathy from other animals. The other animals do not think it’s right that she did not help her own husband out of the soup, this story questions Maritna Martinez’s moral reasoning. 

“The joyful Bagpipes”- The Joyful Bagpipes is a story about a man named Santiago. He has three brothers and he lives with his family. During the first section of the story Santiago is sent away to the mountains to work for a shepherd because his family couldn’t care for him well. While in the mountains he harbored no anger or ill will for his family, and he lived a happy and peaceful life. One day a lady comes by and asks him if he desires anything. All he asks for is some bagpipes and the lady granted him this request. Throughout the rest of the story he lives a happy and prosperous life by being his honest and kind self. He may have been fired or not treated well by others but none of that kept him down and even offered to help others. 

“The Happy Man’s Tunic”- The story is centered around a sick prince. The prince’s father is told by a doctor that only a happy man’s tunic can cure him. The king orders his soldiers to find a happy man and obtain his tunic at any cost. When they finally find a truly happy man, he does not own a tunic, but he plays a very beautiful song for the prince which reminds him of his childhood and cures him right away. 

“Blancaflor”-This time the king is sick, and the prince is doing everything he can to help his father. A mysterious spirit offers to cure his father, but the prince must fulfill a promise in three years’ time. The prince accepts the offer and in three years he seeks out the spirit and performs three trials for him. But sadly, the spirit tricked him, but with the help of the spirits’ daughter blancaflor whom the prince had fallen in love with, they escaped on a horse named viento. Blancaflor’s father chased them on a horse that was old and wise and no matter what they did they couldn’t outrun it. Only when the prince expressed his devotion to his family and reasoning for wanting to go home and return to his family, were they able to escape.

“The Vigilant Sentry”- In this story Li Shih-min and his brothers are going to war with each other to gain leadership. He did not want to get his people caught up in the war so he took his army and left far away. During one of the nights at the camps li was stopped by one of his soldiers. His soldier had a bad dream about li being killed and wished to warn him. Li continued into battle but alleged his soldier of his position so he could stay behind. The emperor did not wish to bring his people harm and in turn his people did not want to bring their emperor any harm either.

“Kwan-yin, the goddess of Mercy” – In this story, a man is abusive and rude to his mother, and when he goes on a pilgrimage to the shrine of the goddess of mercy, he realizes that his mother is actually a representation of mercy and his way of thinking and reasoning is completely changed. He comes to accept people no matter their use and worth and changes from abusive, to kind.

Individuality: 

“A small gift” – You never know when things (small or big) can come in handy. Don’t underestimate others or yourself. (The country boy knew he had a loud voice, the students didn’t see value in this, however, the wise teacher knew the country boy had potential and would come in handy to teach a lesson to the other students.)

“The Goat from The Hills and the Mountains” – In the story, there is a goat eating from a family’s field and none of the family members or the local soldiers can make the goat move because the goat keeps threatening to eat the family members. Then, an ant comes along and is able to scare the goat away. The ant exemplifies the theme of individuality because even though he’s a small ant that can’t do much, he is able to scare the goat away when no one else could.

“What’s in a Name”- Be original, everyone else is taken. There is a little brother who has a cat. He named him tiger cat and his big brother kept messing with him about it because it was not a tiger. Then the little brother decided to have friends over and they all gave him their opinions on what he should name the cat. The little brother was so overwhelmed about what everyone else thought he decided to name the cat “Cat” not for his friends or for his brother but for himself. 

Survival/Adaptability: 

“Deer Dear!” Said the Turtle”- Although the deer, Venado is clearly faster than Jicotea, the turtle, Jicotea is fast thinking. In order to win the race Jicotea adapts to her situation, and with the help of a few friends, the turtle outsmarts the deer and confuses the deer, thinking that he has passed the turtle multiple times. The deer thinks he has the race “in the bag”, but it did not take much other than the turtle to understand how to adapt to the situation to win the race. 

“Catalina the Fox”- Catalina is being picked on by the Wolf. He is stealing all her food and Catalina has had enough with it. She decides to mess with the Wolf and he really was not happy about it. So he tried to get her back by trying to trick her, but the fox was smarter than the wolf here. She was able to outwit the wolf and trick him again. She is continuously adapting and surviving what the wolf throws at her.  

“The King of Beasts” -You’re only as confident as everyone sees you. Don’t assume.  (The animals in the forest ran away from the fox although the lion was right behind, walking as if the lion was the foxes servant.) The fox knows that the lion would have the ability and strength to kill the fox in one bite. The fox thinks quickly to save its life by teaching the lion a lesson to not judge a book by its cover and to be merciful to other animals.