Beali Lopez- Enchanted Air
I truly enjoyed reading Enchanted Air and found myself relating to it. My initial thoughts were that the structure of the book was strange. I had never read a book that was written in verses only poems. But the more I read, the more i enjoyed the structure. I found that this made reading easier for me. It also made it easier to remember where I had left off if i needed to stop at an awkward place. At first I tried reading the text as a poem due to the style it was written in but I soon found myself reading the book just like I would any other. I feel that books written in verse would be great to give to students who have a hard time reading long paragraphs or children who have dyslexia. When I was young I had the hardest time reading books with long paragraphs because I would get overwhelmed by all the words. Reading long texts were a nightmare although I have always enjoyed reading.
So much depends upon
an old teddy-bear
filled with years of love
laid besides the babies’ crib
Beali Lopez- George
For this make i decided to create a short picture book. Creating this book was time consuming but very enjoyable. When i was finished I asked my roommates to read it. They lied how simple it was and although I am not good at drawing, they appreciated the effort. This is an activity that i would love to do with children. I would have the children create a book that has a message they would like to share with the class.
Beali Lopez -George
George is a book about a transgender girl who is trying to explain herself to those around her specifically her mom, brother, and best friend. I believe this book was written to raise awareness and help people understand how a transgender child feels. This book can help children who believe they are transgender as well as their parents and others in their life. I had never read a children’s book abut transgender but i have read many articles and books. My sibling is transgender and this book helped me understand how a child might feel being in a physical body that is different from their mental body. George talks about how uncomfortable she is with her body. She says she does not like going to the bathroom or bathing because she is forced to look at the body of a boy, a body that does not belong to her. Towards the end of the book it is revealed that many people, including George’s parents and older brother thought he was gay. I believe that this book tries to mirror reality as best as possible. This book made me think about how i would feel growing up in a boys body when I know I am a girl. I felt embarrassed when i thought about having to use the boys bathroom or bathing in a body that did not mentally belong to me. I felt sad when i thought about not being able to play with girls or having to play with boys because i was seen as a boy. I put myself in the body of a boy and I realized all of the gender oriented things in life. George had to line up with the boys and only allowed to audition for the male parts.