Show Way

      After just having posted about the poems by Langston Hughes, I wanted to follow it with another post of empowering story of an African American family who also endured hardships. Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Hudson Talbot in 2005 is a story that tells a story about slavery, yet keeps it very informational and makes sure not to place blame or show animosity. This tale is historical fiction that accurately describes life in America for families with slavery ancestory, and moves through time recapping what has happened around America from then until now.
     I think this is a great book to read to students aged approx. seven years of age. This is an important piece of our history that should certainly be taught, albeit carefully. This book depicts a lively story with honesty yet humility, which is appropriate for children. "And in the daytime when there was some few minutes for a slave to rest a bit, Big Mama taught Soonie's great-grandma to sew colored thread into stars and moons and roads that slave children grew up and followed late in the night, a piece of quilt and the true moon leading them" (Woodson, 2005). 
     Show Way is a prose picturebook that moves through time but is still a piece of historical fiction. Per the requirements given on page 257 in Figure 8.1 in our text, Show Way is very precise:

• The events and attitudes in Show Way are consistent with historical evidence and appropriate to the time period. We know through documents are primary artifacts like diaries that slaves would gather together to do activities like quilting, dancing (which was made illegal) and other things. So it is accurate that slaves would come together to make a quilt. It symbolizes unity.
• Social issues in Show Way are presented honestly, without condoning to racism and sexism. Slavery is never an easy topic to discuss. As an American, I am ashamed of my country for treating other humans the way they were. But, people also make mistakes, and to relay this information without coming across as racist or biased can be difficult, but the author does this very well. The color of the slaves is never mentioned within the text, just shown throughout the illustrations. This is a very respectful manner to go about educating students on such a sensitive topic.

The literary quality must also meet requirements. These include: 

•  Meeting "the criteria for all good narratives" (Galda, Cullinan & Sipe, 2011), which is certainly true for this book
•  Show Way has an integral setting that arouses the time periods with historical and geographical evidence. As I mentioned earlier, this story is based off factual times, and we know today that the things that took place in this book actually happened in real life during those times.
• The language patterns of Show Way are authentic to the time and place, yet still remain a pattern of characterization. This is absolutely true. For example, towards the beginning of the book, the language is more accurate to the times of slavery by using syntax such as "But Mathis May stayed on, grew tall and straight-boned, jumped broom with another slave" (Woodson, 2005), but towards the end of the book the text depicts a more modern sense of language. "And when I was seven, I didn't have to work in a field or walk in any freedom lines" (Woodson, 2005).
• Characterization is strong
•  Plot is authentic
• Theme describes historical issues

       Page 56 in our text also provides a rubric for picturebook genres. Even though it is historically accurate, Show Way is fiction. Therefore:

•  "Characters are  dynamic and dimensional as well as fanciful ...
• The story is set in the real world of ... an imagined world of the future.
•  The events of the story are plausible and logical in the real world of ... a future world" (Galda, Cullinan & Sipe, 2011).

All of these are met in both the text and illustrations.    
       In my classroom, I would ask my young students to draw me a picture of their ancestors. For example, if a student were Asian American, they could draw their family in Asia and so on. I would also ask them to bring in a piece of media relating to their background, be it a song they sing or play on a CD, an article of clothing that maybe has been passed down through generations, or even an old family portrait of the students' ancestors themselves (with the promise that I and only I would handle it, and with care!). We could even turn this idea into a Heritage Theme Day, where we all celebrate the culture of our ancestors! 
   My reader response questions would be:

1. What type of quilts do the characters in the story make?
2. What time of day do they work on the quilt together?
3. Could Soonie find the good or bad in a lot of things? Which do you find?
4. Every time a  baby is born in this story, the phrase "Loved that baby up so. Yes, they loved that baby up" (Woodson, 2005) is said. Why do you think that is?

References

     Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2011). Literature and the Child. (7th ed., pp. 24 - 257). Belmont: Wadsworth Pub Co.
     Woodson, J. (2005). Show way. (1st ed.). New York: Putnam Juvenile.