Every Body's Talking

Every Body's Talking

Picture book
Silvestre is my mentor. I consult him often when I am deciding
whether to do something. When he says yes in words his body language
is congruent. He smiles and makes eye contact. If he said yes while
looking away and narrowing his eyes I would be confused. Have you
ever experienced someone saying one thing (of course I will) verbally
and another one (when Hell freezes over) kinetically? How did that
make you feel?
When we teach our children to communicate we tend to focus on
words. Other than making some gestures, say flipping the bird, taboo,
we tend to skip over the performing and interpreting of nonverbal
clues...even though they carry more weight in everyday discourse.
Donna M. Jackson's Every Body's Talking: What We Say Without Words
gives the evolving intermediate grade child a good introduction to the
topic.
Through a lively discourse illustrated with intriguing
photographs young readers can learn methods for interpreting others'
nonverbal cues. For instance:
*the many messages that can be sent with the eyes alone,
*the complexity of facial expressions,
*possible clues to verbal deception,
and *how interpretation of gestures differs widely between cultures.
There are also helpful hints for overcoming anxieties such as stage
fright.
These days when the ubiquitous social media is often replacing
person to person communication, even for the very young, learning the
nuances of real life social situations is crucial. Every Body's
Talking can be an important part of this education.
On a personal note, I went to a solidarity protest against putting
polluting pipelines through North Dakota sacred tribal land. It was
at the Bangor waterfront. We listened to speeches and drumming. We
took a walk with signs, crossing two bridges. Lots of people honked
in approval. We had some delicious food before we headed home.
A great big shout out goes out to the people fighting to protect their
precious land and water from being ravaged by greedy corporations.
jules hathaway



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