Poverty theme in Children's Books
Over the course of the semester we've read several books that addressed various social themes, such as racism, the holocaust, status, and poverty. Of all the themes we've address the one that stuck with me the most was the theme of poverty. The reason poverty has lingered in my mind is because of all the themes, poverty makes the greatest impact on world as we know it. Many other social issues stem from the lack of resources. Of course, the fact that poverty is a major problem in society is a not a secret. However, teaching children about this sensitive topic can be a little more than even the most experienced and competent parents are able to deal with in a way that a young mind can understand. One way parents choose to introduce their children to this social problem is with the aid of children's books. Curious of exactly how a children's book author presents this topic in a way a young mind could grasp it, I have chosen to take a look at the children's books The Rag Coat, Bone Button Borscht, and May'naise Sandwiches and Sunshine Tea all which address poverty as a central theme.The first book I want to discuss is titled May'naise Sandwiches and Sunshine Tea. This book starts off w
Since it was their mothers who helped Minna's mother make the coat every child in the class had a piece of history stitched into Minna's coat. Minna started attending school without the coat. Bone Button Borscht suggests that with a little help and a little hope that people will eventually do the right thing and what's needed to survive in a difficult situation. Finally, I was impressed by the way all three of these books handle the impressionable young minds of their intended audience while addressing the very important and complex social issue of poverty. This book is about an impoverished coal mining family who can't send their daughter Minna to school because they couldn't afford to buy her a coat. Her father noticed his daughter's sadness and promised to get her a coat so she could attend school. However, in the end the town's people are not symbolic of greed any longer but of people opening their eyes, working together, and helping out their fellow man. Again this prompted someone else to announce that has some pickle at home, left, and returned with it in hand. After she ran away she sat and pondered about what had just happened she remembered her father told her "People only need people, and nothing else. The town's people praised him for his miracle soup and gave him shelter for the next few weeks. This book is a classic example of how people's greed and mistrust for each other will drag them all down if they are not careful. The buttons gave them hope and helped them over come their fear of giving away what little they had to their neighbor and helped them to share. This book teaches wealthy and poor children alike, that they are not all that different from each other. Later in the story Big Mama invited Bettie Jean over for another fun filled day of adventures, in the less affluent part of town that she lived in.
Common topics in this essay:
Button Borscht,
Rag Coat,
Borscht Thinking,
Black Lungs,
Bettie Jean,
Sunshine Tea,
Bettie Jean's,
Children's Books,
Little Miss,
Billy Jean,
sunshine tea,
bettie jean's,
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rag coat,
may'naise sandwiches sunshine,
may'naise sandwiches,
sandwiches sunshine,
sandwiches sunshine tea,
town's people,
button borscht,
picnic bettie jean's,
little miss,
mama's house,
bone button borscht,
bettie jean's house,
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Acceptance Essays
