LULU and the Hunger Monster

 

Erik Talkin, illustrated by Sheryl Murray, free spirit Publishing, 2020.

Ted Talk with author Erik Talkin

The Influence of LULU and the Hunger Monster

 "With a GRIND and a CLANK, our old van slows to a stop." This is a powerful lead. With my research around first graders understanding of economic inequality, they have talked about the need of a car to get to work, "You need a car to get to work so you are not poor." First graders expressed, "Being poor means you don't have a lot of food or the things you like to eat." This picturebook lead nurtures their understandings of the indeed correlation between these two things. This is why books like this must be read in our classrooms and homes. 

The Influence of Children’s Literature 

    Children develop understandings and perceptions from picturebooks. In research looking at children’s literature as a catalyst to deeper thinking, Laminack and Kelly (2019) emphasized that, “Young children are active agents as they construct understanding of themselves and the world around them” (p.132). Words and illustrations invite children to deepen curiosities and expand their own view of the world. Readers demonstrate critical thinking with their responses to picture books, and in those responses, they can reveal the influence picture books have on their ideological assumptions. Children’s literature is highly influential, as this reflects social norms and cements the reader’s interpretations of their culture, values and beliefs, while acknowledging what stereotypes are the loudest. Bishop reasoned:

Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created and recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however a window can also be a mirror. (1990, as cited by Harris, 2007, p.153).

The experience of reading is a powerful portal to thinking. It helps translate meaning of the world as this serves as an ingredient to children’s deepening understanding. 

    I read on, "All Mom's money goes to fix the van. She needs it to drive to work. That means there's no money left for groceries." I sit with this line a moment. These words help cement the correlation. This makes sense, this is an idea that can nurture critical thinking and add to the reader's economic inequality schema. If more first graders had access to a narrative like this, would they grow up to be adults that blamed the individual for their economic situation, or would they be the individuals looking for systemic changes? If we listen closer to how our children respond and talk about picturebooks like this, we will hear the answer to that important question!