Realistic Fiction
Realistic Fiction is an important genre for children, especially young children to be exposed to. Books in this genre help children understand human problems and relate to stories. These stories help children better understand themselves and know that they are not alone in the problems they may face. They provide examples of how to react or not react to situations that may arise in their lives.
Muhammad, I., Ali, S. K., & Aly, H. (2020). The proudest blue: A story of hijab and family. Andersen Press Ltd.
The story The Proudest Blue written by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S. K. Ali, with art by Hatem Aly. is my first selection for realistic fiction. It promotes themes of being proud of your identity and what makes us different.
This is the story of Asiya who is getting her first hijab and the first day of school. The story is told from the perspective of her very proud little sister, Faizah. Asiya picks a beautiful blue scarf for her first day of hijab. Faizah deals with children asking what her sister is wearing and makes fun of her. Faizah finds strength in her mother’s words and how strong and beautiful her sister is.
In addition to the anti-bullying theme the story highlights sisterly love, the importance of being true to who you are and beautiful descriptions of the color blue. The illustrations do a fantastic job of highlighting both the figurative language and the literal text of the story. The pictures are bright and beautiful. I appreciate the Aly made the bullies appear as shadowy figures lacking any real characteristics because the story isn’t about them, and it doesn’t single anyone out to be the “bad guy”. This story is perfect or student 4 years old to 3rd grade.
You may recognize the name of the author as the 2016 Olympic medalist. She is best known for being the first American Muslim woman to wear hijab while competing at the Olympic Games.
Despite receiving multiple literary awards and distinctions including the SLJ (School Library Journal) Best Books of the Year, 2010 – 2022, this beautiful and powerful story is currently banned from classrooms in Pennsylvania’s Central York School District. I thought the story was very meaningful and important, as well as entertaining for students.
Havill, J.; O’Brien, A. S. (2017). Jamaica’s find. Center for the Collaborative Classroom.
Jamaica’s Find is a realistic fiction book about a little girl who while playing at the park finds a few lost items. She takes the found items to the lost and found except for a stuffed dog which she decides to keep. She brings the stuffed dog home and loves it very much. After speaking with her mother decides the right thing to do is give the dog to lost and found. When she goes back to the park, she find another child looking for her lost stuffed dog Edger. Jamica is happy to have helped the other little girl and made a new friend.
The watercolor illustrations in this story are beautiful and very engaging for both children and adults. The illustrations really help to expand on the tone and show the emotions felt by the characters in the story. Juanita Havill is the author of more than thirty books for children. This book won the Ezra Jack Keats Award in 1987 and was a Reading Rainbow Review Book.
Jamaica is a very relatable character and feels real. I love this story because it teaches children about the importance of being honest and choosing between right and wrong even when it is difficult. My students love this story too.
Ways to expand on the books
- Have children describe their favorite colors in terms of nature.
- Read other stories about cultures.
- Have children act our Jamaica’s find on the playground.
Questions to ask your students
- Why do you think Ibtihaj Muhammad wrote this book?
- What is something you got new or special to wear on your first day of school?
- At the end of the book, Jamaica is smiling and happy. Why is she feeling so happy at the end of the story?
- Why did Jamaica decide to return Edgar Dog to lost and found?
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteThe Proudest Blue is a beautiful realistic fiction story. Since this could actually happen, the educator could connect the text to the real world after reading it in the classroom. Asking questions like Have you seen anyone wear a hijab before? can open up discussion about what hijab means to Muslims and help children understand more about the culture.
Asiya was excited to pick her first hijab and proudly chose blue. I think it would be a fun activity if students got to pick out hijabs for paper dolls and explain why they chose their colors. I would hope that getting the students excited about choosing their dolls hijab would help them relate to a future classmate wearing hijab for the first time.
Two literature activities which can contribute to the developmental learning of this book are: 1) create a skit based on the book. With the skit, the students will create a lost and found box and make new friendships within their peers. 2) Write a paragraph and explain what it means to have a friend.
ReplyDeleteThis book is considered realistic fiction. The events taking place in this book are real life events which took place in either the author’s life or someone they know. Realistic fiction explains real life experiences.
The Proudest Blue
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing The Proudest Blue storybook on your blog; you gave details about the book and how it relates to the realistic fiction genre. It's a shame this book has been banned at some schools; it has a significant meaning, and students are missing out.
The Proudest Blue is a story about a young girl named Asiya who got her first hijab on the first day of school. Even though she was bullied for wearing her hijab, Asiya still supported her culture by following their customs of wearing the hijab. This book also shows how Asiya's sister stood up for her and supported Asiya's choice of wearing the hijab. This book is from the Contemporary realistic fiction genre—the issues discussed in the story or issues that occur in the real world. The story did not support stereotypes with any of the characters. The audience can easily follow the plot of the story. The conflict in the story is believable and is resolved realistically.
Two literature response activities:
A story map activity can be used with this book for students to identify the setting, plot, conflict, characters and solution.
A sequencing activity can be used to sequence the occurrence of events in the story to outline what took place in what order. I would also suggest using a sequencing worksheet that allows for a small picture to be drawn and have the students to draw a picture of each entry they list.