The Day You Begin
The Day You Begin is a inspiring book released in August 2018 and written by National Book Award winner, Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by two-time Pura Belpré Illustrator Award winner, Rafael López. This book also available in Spanish, as l Día En Que Descubres Quién Eres!. The story describes a moments when a child may feel like an outsider among their friends because of their language, the color of their skin, "different" food that they eat, or another many reasons to feel different.
Plot
The day you begin centers on a girl with a big a curly hair named Angelina, who begins her school year with a class share-out of summer travels. Text and illustrations effectively work together to convey her feelings of otherness as she reflects on her own summer spent at home: “What good is this / when others were flying,” she ponders while leaning out her city window forlornly watching birds fly past to seemingly faraway places. López’s incorporation of a ruler for a door, table, and tree into the illustrations creatively extends the metaphor of measuring up to others. Three other children—Rigoberto, a recent immigrant from Venezuela; a presumably Korean girl with her “too strange” lunch of kimchi, meat, and rice; and a lonely white boy in what seems to be a suburb—experience more-direct teasing for their outsider status. A bright jewel-toned palette and clever details, including a literal reflection of a better future, reveal hope and pride in spite of the taunting. This reassuring, lyrical book feels like a big hug from a wise aunt as she imparts the wisdom of the world in order to calm trepidatious young children: One of these things is not like the other, and that is actually what makes all the difference.[1]
Impact
This book speaks directly to the children who are its intended readers, describing those familiar moments when a child may be marked as an outsider among their peers because of their home language, or the color of their skin, or the “different” food they bring for lunch. The soft, evocative illustrations introduce us to characters who live these situations alone, before realizing that they can connect across, and because of, the identities and experiences that make them unique. This book could be used to foster meaningful personal connections and anchor discussion about community in younger elementary grades.[2]
References
- ↑ Kirkus Review. The Day You Begin. Retrieved on December 20, 2020.
- ↑ Socia Justice Book. The Day You Begin. Retrieved on December 20,2020.
