Poverty And Hunger

Poverty And Hunger

Juvenile nonfiction
When I was a child trying to leave the supper table without
touching the Lima beans, Mom or Dad would remind me of the starving
children in Africa to guilt me into cleaning my plate. I bet many of
you had similar experiences. It was a go to tactic for decades. I
think you'll agree that while it succeeded short term (the Lima beans
or liver disappeared) it didn't exactly lead to empathy.
Children are capable of empathy and wanting to help at really
early ages. An attitude of gratitude for what they have, compassion
for those in need, and a burning desire to help are some of the best
gifts we can cultivate in our kids in a world where too many of their
peers, not only in third world countries, but in the United States
live and sometimes die in dire poverty.
But how?
Books can be quite valuable in this endeavor. Poverty And
Hunger by Louise Spilsbury and Hanane Kai is a good introduction to
these topics. The text is to the point, but not intimidating.
Children are given ways to help those in need and a list of books and
websites to learn more.
The pictures beautifully compliment the text. On the first two
page spread where poverty is defined, for example, you see an adult
and child napping on a sofa surrounded by the comforts of home while
through a window you catch a glimpse of an adult and child sleeping
rough (homeless). Plants wither in parched soil. A little girl
drinks water that is far from clean.
And then there's the cat. On nearly every page there's an
orange cat with striped tail and paws. Getting younger kids to find
the cat from page to page is a good way to help them to learn to focus
on illustrations.
I have only one beef with the book. It leads children to think
that it's only kids in other countries living in poverty. There are
growing numbers right here in the United States, the world's richest
nation.
On a personal note, UMaine is on October Break. A lot of us are doing
our jobs and beaucoup studying. I sure am! Last week dining services
had a very special dinner: a celebration of all things Maine cuisine--
everything from crab cakes through baked beans and brown bread to
needhams.
A great big shout out goes out to my fellow studying and recreating
students and the awesome chefs who make every meal a celebration.
Jules Hathaway


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