LLED 441 Assignment 2: Curation of Children's Literature

Option C: Investigate a particular subject

I thought it would be helpful and useful to curate a bibliography of books to use that would enhance the understanding of mental health issues. Mental health as a topic has become more common in children’s literature including books for the very young. Children are faced with many issues that can put their mental health at risk: stress, heartbreak, bereavement, trauma, depression, and anxiety. “In this day and age the impact of a student’s mental health on his/her ability to learn and achieve academically is becoming more and more widely understood, accepted, and addressed. In order for students to achieve at their greatest potential they must be educated in a safe and emotionally healthy environment”(Richmond, 2014, 19).  There are many books that can provide information, understanding and a sense of comfort to those with mental health issues. As discussing the topic of mental health becomes more acceptable, students can better understand themselves and their peers who might be suffering.

I teach in a high school and most of the titles I would usually choose are YA novels. However, the timeline for the course necessitated including shorter works and picture books. Reading these made me realize that picture books often contain powerful stories that are immediately useful and accessible. 

Books intended for the very young but are also useful for those who are older

1.     Berube, K. Mae’s First Day of School.

2.     James, M. The Funeral.

3.     Pinfold, L. Black Dog.

4.     Yum, H. (2018). Saturday is Swimming Day

These picture books explore the themes of anxiety (Mae’s First Day of School and Saturday is Swimming Day), depression (Black Dog), and death in the family (The Funeral).

                                      

                            

The two books that deal with anxiety work through common situations for children—swimming lessons, and the first day of school—in effective ways. Mae’s First Day of School has the teacher join Mae and deciding that she is not going to school either because she is worried that the students won’t like her. The situations are resolved and the children move on. In Saturday is Swimming Lessons it takes longer than one day to work through the anxiety the child feels about the lessons, but after a few weeks, the lessons are no longer dreaded. The fear was mostly the fear of the unknown.

   

Graphic novels for middle years and YA students

1.     Britt, F. & Arsenault, I. (Illustrator). (2017). Louis Undercover

2.     Craft, J. (2019). New Kid.

3.     Elliot, R. (2017). It’s all Absolutely Fine.

4.     LaPointe, S. & Roge. (2017). Grandfather and the Moon (S. Tanaka Trans.).

                              

                    

                 

All of these books deal with difficult mental health issues and have examples of young people taking action to improve the situations they are in. In Louis Undercover, Louis is in a stressful situation with divorced parents, an alcoholic father, and a girl he is in love who he is afraid to approach. At the end of the book Louis takes action to improve his happiness by talking to Billie. New Kid sees Jordan as the new kid at school with all of the requisite anxiety this brings. He is an artist so the book has several inserts he has drawn providing his perspective on the situations he has to handle: Jordan’s Tips for Taking the Bus; Judging Kids by the Cover of Their Books, The Dude Pyramid: A Guide to Cafeteria Hierarchy.  Ruby Elliot draws her way through the daily difficulties she faces in the book It's All Absolutely Fine. In Grandfather and the Moon, a young girl helps her grandfather deal with depression after the death of his wife.

YA Books that explore mental health themes

1.     Chbosky, S. (1999). The perks of being a wallflower.

2.     Jensen, K. (Ed) (2018). (Don’t) call me crazy: 33 voices start the conversation about mental health

3.     Priemaza, A. (2017). Kat and Meg conquer the world.

4.     Tomkins, M., & Martinez, K (2010). My Anxious Mind: A teen’s guide to managing anxiety and panic.

                                                        

When I told my daughter my topic, she suggested I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower (she also named my blog). I could see why she is a fan of the book. Charlie suffers from PTSD, anxiety and depression. He turns to drugs and alcohol. When the root cause of his problems is revealed he gets help. This book is signed out often from the school library.

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy is an anthology that exposes a number of mental health issues that students will find informative. The chapters are short and the stories are interesting. In Kat and Meg Conquer the World one of the main characters has ADHD and the other suffers from sever anxiety. When they have to work together on a science project they become friends and they help each other deal with their mental health issues. I included My Anxious Mind: A teen’s guide to managing anxiety and panic on my list because it provides some specific strategies for dealing with mental health issues.

Books that provide positive examples of mental health

1.     Beaumont, K., Catrow, D. (Illustrator). (2004). I Like Myself.

2.     DiOrio, R., Wheeler E. (Illustrator). (2010). What Does it Mean to be Present?

I wanted to include books that illustrate ways of being mentally healthy. I Like Myself is an ode to self-esteem. I love the dedication, “Wishing every child the magic of self-acceptance and love.” What Does it Mean to be Present shows children how to be mindful so that they can be present in their lives. “When we are all present, life can be much richer, fuller and happier!”

         

Video texts

1.     Green, John (July 25, 2017). What OCD is Like (for me). (YouTube video). Retrieved from:  https://youtu.be/jNEUz9v5RYo

John Green candidly discusses what OCD is like for him. Since he is one of the most popular YA novelists, and so many young people read his books, having him explain this mental health issue is very impactful.

The books and the video provide information on mental health issues that are prevalent with high school students. Using the books as resources can help build understanding among the teachers of the issues that the students struggle with. As well, the texts can help students understand mental health issues they and their friends are dealing with. On a final note, there are a number of other texts that I did not have time to read but would like to in order to include them on this list.: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green; Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now by Dana L. Davis; Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone.  

Bibliography

Beaumont, K., Catrow, D. (Illustrator). (2004). I like myself. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Berube, K. (2018). Mae’s first day of school. New York, NY: ABRAMS The Art of Books.

Britt, F. & Arsenault, I. (Illustrator). (2017). Louis undercover (C. Morelli and S. Ouriou Trans.). Toronto: Groundwood Books, house of Anansi Press. (Original work published 2016).

Craft, J. (2019). New Kid. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Chbosky, S. (1999). The perks of being a wallflower. New York, NY: Gallery Books.

DiOrio, R., Wheeler E. (Illustrator). (2010). What does it mean to be present? USA: little Pickle Press, Inc.

Elliot, R. (2017). It’s all absolutely fine. Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Green, John (July 25, 2017). What OCD is like (for me). (YouTube video). Retrieved from:  https://youtu.be/jNEUz9v5RYo

James, M. (2018). The funeral. Toronto: Groundwood Books, house of Anansi Press.

Jensen, K. (Ed) (2018). (Don’t) call me crazy: 33 voices start the conversation about mental health. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin Young Readers.

LaPointe, S. & Roge. (2017). Grandfather and the moon (S. Tanaka Trans.). Toronto: Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press. (Original work published 2017).

Pinfold, L. (2011). Black Dog. Somerville, Massachusetts: Templar Books an imprint of Candlewick Press.

Priemaza, A. (2017). Kat and Meg conquer the world. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Richmond, K.J. (2014). Using literature to confront the stigma of mental illness, teach empathy and break stereotypes. Language Arts Journal of Michigan (30)1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.9707/2168-149X.2038

Tomkins, M., & Martinez, K (2010). My anxious mind: A teen’s guide to managing anxiety and panic. Washington, DC: Magination Press.

Yum, H. (2018). Saturday is swimming day. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.