The Last Word

The last word in the class I taught recently was a prayer for children. I thought that would be a fine way to end, since school was beginning soon. I used a prayer often found in the Children's Defense Fund material by Ina Hughes. Here's a sampling--it is rather long:

We pray for children
who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money.

We pray for children
who never get dessert,
who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,
who watch their parents watch them die,
who can't find any bread to steal,
who don't have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
and whose monsters are real.

You can find the complete prayer by googling Ina Hughes. There are several versions available. The line that really gets me except for the death one is those who don't have pictures on anybody's dresser. Wow!

And that dear readers is my bibliography on "Glimpsing God in Children's Literature." Of course, there are many others, but there was just not enough time to cover them all.

We must keep praying for children as they go through the school day--they are our hope and future. Pray for the teachers too--they are so important to the lives we live now and in the future.

Inspiration from great lives

I believe that inspiration, courage, and determination comes from reading about great people who had those qualities. That is why I included biographies in my presentation "Glimpsing God in Children's Literature." There are many excellent books out there, but I chose one that had a special connection to Nashville, Wilma Unlimited, How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by David Diaz. Wilma grew up in Clarksville, TN just down the road and attended Tennessee State University. Of course, she became famous because of her three gold medals won in the 1960 Olympics, but she also overcame poverty, race, gender bias and polio to do so. The book shows her taking her brace off and walking down the aisle of her church one Sunday morning "when the singing seemed to burst through the walls into the trees."



When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan, illustrated by Brian Selznick is about Marian Anderson who grew up poor in Philadelphia and singing contralto in the church choir. There were no black women singing opera in those days, but she overcame and with the help of Eleanor

Roosevelt became so well known that she achieved her dream.

This book is so beautiful, I can hardly describe it. Lyrics from old hymns are found throughout.



Another book connected with Nashville is Goin' Someplace Special by Patricia McKissick, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. It is a memoir of McKissick's childhood days with her grandmother in the segregated South. Her "someplace special" is the Nashville Public Library which opened its doors to everyone in the early 50's without regard to race. (Bless those brave trustees) Throughout the book, 'Trisha Ann is reminded by

adults who help her get to that place that she "is somebody--a human being--no better and no worse than anyone else in the world."

I Can Make a Difference

Another book I used in my presentation Sunday was Marion Wright Edelman's I Can Make a Difference, A Treasury to Inspire Our Children. It is fairly new, published in 2005. Written by the founder and head of the Children's Defense Fund and illustrated by Barry Moser, it is a gorgeous book.

Built on such principles as: I can make a difference by loving myself and others as God loves us ...by treating others respectfully and fairly...by being courageous...by caring and serving...by persevering and not giving up...by being grateful for the gift and wonders of life...by being compassionate and kind, etc., the book has for each principle, some quotations on the subject, a beautiful illustration fitting the topic, short stories from many cultures and excerpts from poetry on the topic.

I did the one on being grateful for the gift and wonders of life which is illustrated with a portrait of Albert Schweitzer and this quote from him, "The greatest thing is to give thanks for everything. He who has learned this knows what it means to live." With an excerpt from "Leaves of Grass" and a Zen story from Japan extolling the beauties of the moon, the chapter ends with the entire poem by James Weldon Johnson "The Creation." As I looked at this book, I could see at least two weeks' worth of morning announcements using the quotes and a few ideas.

Marion W. Edelman is one of my heros these days. Her CDF is a national voice for children NOT funded by the government. Other books she has written include a treasury of poetry for children entitled I Am Your Child, God. Illustrated by Brian Collier, it is another beautiful book. I will review that one tomorrow. Her other books are Guide My Feet and The Measure of Our Success. They are good books for teachers and parents on the rearing and teaching of children. Her memoir is Lanterns.