The Pirate of Kindergarten

BOOK REVIEW: The Pirate of Kindergarten

CITATION:

Lyon, George Ella and Avril, Lynne. The Pirate of Kindergarten. New York, Simon & Schuster, 2010.

ISBN: 9781416950240

SUMMARY:

Ginny loves reading, but is constantly seeing double words, running into things, and messing up her projects because she can’t see. She even gets picked on by her classmates. However, she doesn’t learn she has double vision until a routine vision screening at school. Thankfully, she gets a patch to help her eyes to become better, and she becomes the “pirate of kindergarten.” By the end of the book, her confidence soars as she reads, plays, and creates crafts correctly because her vision is fixed.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

The Pirate of Kindergarten is written in a tone and format that any young school-aged child can understand, but the topic is something that anyone (including adults) can relate to. No one wants to be held back or treated unfairly because of a disability. Vision impairment is a common problem for children, but diagnosing it can be tricky. In this book by George Ella Lyon, Ginny is a believable character who soars after her problem is fixed. This realistic picture book with a few sentences per page and vibrant and supporting illustrations shows how a young child can feel frustrated with a vision impairment.

The cultural markers in this book focus on accurately showing how a child in kindergarten might interact with their surroundings, classmates and teachers. Ginny’s vision impairment is shown though Lynne Avril’s pencil, color and paint illustrations. There are chairs on top of each other in a layering effect on one page. Also, she shows how pages in books look to Ginny, with overlapping words and letters. The reader can get a sense of how difficult it must be for someone with double vision to read correctly. Lastly, we get a sense of how easily misunderstood a child with a vision problem can be. Ms. Cleo, her teacher, seems nice. However, she clearly does not understand how Ginny feels. She is constantly telling her to get her nose out of the book and to stop squinting. Thankfully, the kind nurse explains to Ginny that her vision needs help, and the doctor explains to Ginny and her mother how they will correct the problem with a patch and glasses.

With a happy ending, readers will cheer knowing that Ginny was able to get help with her vision and that disability does not have to interfere with her success at school anymore. Hopefully children who read this book will feel comfortable telling someone if they have a vision problem, and/or try to understand how an impairment does not have to hinder them from reaching their potential. Also, hopefully this book will show children how important it is that everyone treats others kindly, because we never quite know what others are going through. Even though Ginny had to wear a patch, she was so happy to finally feel confident moving around and reading.

BOOK REVIEWS/AWARDS:

Schneider Family Book Award for Young Children’s Book (2011)

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Ginny suffers from undiagnosed double vision, and seeing two of everything is causing her difficulties in school. On vision screening day, a nurse discovers the problem, and the prescribed eye patch gives Ginny a new identity—the pirate of kindergarten. Lyon's short, descriptive sentences set up the situation deftly, and Avril's astute chalk, pencil, and acrylic drawings of "two of everything" provide a vivid window into Ginny's pre-treatment world. It is not until the end of the story that Ginny declares herself a pirate, but as a metaphor for confidence and competence, her patch effectively declares her to be captain of her own ship. Julia Chen Headley's The Patch (Charlesbridge, 2006) is another story about a pirate with vision issues.—Lisa Egly Lehmuller, St. Patrick's Catholic School, Charlotte, NC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Booklist:

Ginny enjoys kindergarten, but she does have some difficulties, and occasionally children laugh when she runs into chairs or reads lines of text twice. Her teacher notices that the child closes one eye to read, but on Vision Screening Day, the school nurse discovers that Ginny has double vision. When the doctor gives her a temporary eye patch, Ginny wears it with style and becomes a “Kindergarten Pirate,” suddenly better at numbers, scissors, and reading and no longer tense from concentrating to avoid mistakes. Created with pastels, acrylics, and colored pencils, Avril’s bold and wonderfully vivid mixed-media illustrations sometimes portray the classroom through Ginny’s eyes, with overlapping images of chairs, books, and people, though they usually present an outside perspective. Based on Lyon’s own experience, the sensitively written story radiates empathy and good humor. Even children who have not experienced Ginny’s problem will understand her occasional frustration and find it intriguing that one person can literally see the world differently from another. Preschool-Grade 2. --Carolyn Phelan

CONNECTIONS:

The Pirate of Kindergarten tells a story of Ginny, who has vision impairment. Students would benefit from reading other stories of children with disabilities, such as A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz and Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille by Jennifer Fisher Bryant.

George

BOOK REVIEW: George

CITATION:

Gino, Alex. George. New York: Scholastic Press, 2015.

ISBN 978-0-545-81254-2

SUMMARY: George is a 4th grade girl who was born a boy. In other words, he’s a transgender child who hasn’t told anyone his secret until, he tries out for the role Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web. Eventually, he tells his secret to his mother and his best friend Kelly that he thinks he is a girl. Thankfully, he gets his chance to shine on stage and off-stage, as a girl.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

George is a simple story told about a fourth-grader who is transgender. Written in third person, but referring to George as “her,” the reader understands immediately that George sees himself as a girl more than a boy. George overcomes his fears when he decides he wants to try out for the female part of the play, but Mrs. Udell, the teacher, is confused and exclaims that George certainly cannot be play a girl part, even though he rehearsed it beautifully. Picked on by classmates for being emotional, his loyal friend Kelly is shocked to learn he thinks he is a girl, but accepts him (her) and decides to help by allowing him to have a chance to play the role of Charlotte, which Kelly is supposed to play. George’s secret of wanting to be a girl is uncovered by his mother when she finds him with teenage girl magazines. Frustrated with him, his mother tells him to stop and suggests he is gay. His brother also learns about the magazines and thinks he is gay, quickly saying he accepts that. When George tells them that he is not gay, but that he is a girl, his mother does her best to support him and understand him. Suggesting that they take it “one day at a time,” his mother attempts to understand George and help him. George’s mom also suggests that he gets counseling, which George agrees to, knowing that counseling will help them all. His brother also seems to believe George’s truth, and shows he loves his brother even if he doesn’t understand him.

There are markers in this book that refer to how boys and girls can be stereotyped by their gender, which leads people to view children a certain way without considering their personal strengths or interests. We see that Scott, George’s brother presents as a tough, active, often gross (bodily functions) male. Then, we see Kelly, his best friend present as a soft, accessorizing and tidy girl. Then, George clearly enjoys her company more than the boys in his grade. And there are two boys who bully him because they see him cry at the end of Charlotte’s Web as its being read to the class. George likes to push his hair forward like a girl’s hairstyle. He also gets a chance to dress like a girl, with the help of Kelly. Allowed to go on a trip to the zoo with Kelly’s uncle who has never met George, he dresses like a girl and is called “Melissa” for a day.

The theme of acceptance and understanding can be seen in this novel, which is geared towards middle schoolers. There are no curse words, and the only mention of private parts are referred to as “what’s in between your legs.” When George finally dresses fully as a girl, she is fearful to go to the girls’ bathroom but decides to sit and pee, and she feels excited to finally feel like a girl. Her friend Kelly calls George by a name he chose for himself, “Melissa.” And, while it may be a while before his mom or Scott can be comfortable calling him that name, it is refreshing that no one tried to change George’s mind when he told them he was a girl.

Written in a simple tone, Alex Gino shares a story about a transgender child in a simple and “clean” way. He shows how it can be confusing for others to understand (Ms. Udell), how parents can struggle to find the ways to support their children, how best friends can react, how bullies sometimes treat children who are different, how transgender children are often misinterpreted as gay, and how they just want to be who they are. Shedding light on this situation that is more common than many realize, George is a book that will help transgender children feel less alone and their peers to sympathize with what others may be going through.  

Reviews and Awards:

LGBT Children’s/Young Adult Lambda Literary Award

Children’s Choice Book Awards Winner

Winner of Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s Stonewall Award

Kirkus Review:

George, a fourth-grader who knows she is a girl, despite appearances, begins to tell her secret.The word “transgender” is used midway through, but far more work is done by the simple choice to tell George’s story using third-person narration and the pronouns “she” and “her.” Readers then cringe as much as George herself when bullies mock her or—perhaps worse—when well-meaning friends and family reassure her with sentiments like “I know you’ll turn into a fine young man.” Each year the fourth-graders at George’s school perform a dramatized version of Charlotte’s Web, the essentials of which are lovingly recapped (and tear-inducing ending revealed) for readers unfamiliar with the tale. George becomes convinced that if she plays Charlotte, her mom will finally see her as a girl. George’s struggles are presented with a light, age-appropriate, and hopeful touch. The responses she gets when she begins to confide in those closest to her are at times unexpected but perfectly true-to-character—most notably her crude older brother’s supportive observation that, “No offense, but you don’t make a very good boy.” A coda to the Charlotte’s Webstory, in which George presents herself as a girl for the first time, is deeply moving in its simplicity and joy.

Publisher’s Weekly:

Though others see her as male, 10-year-old George has long known that she is a girl, and she longs for people to see that truth, even while the idea terrifies her. When George’s fourth-grade class has tryouts for a school production of Charlotte’s Web, George desperately wants to play Charlotte, a character she adores. George’s teacher doesn’t allow to George to audition for the part, but her supportive best friend Kelly, who is cast as Charlotte, comes up with a plan that may give George the chance she needs. The taunts of a school bully, George’s self-doubts, and her mother’s inability to truly hear what George is telling her carry real weight as debut author Gino’s simple, direct writing illuminates George’s struggles and quiet strength. George’s joy during stolen moments when she can be herself will resonate with anyone who has felt different, while providing a necessary window into the specific challenges of a child recognizing that they are transgender. Profound, moving, and—as Charlotte would say—radiant, this book will stay with anyone lucky enough to find it. Ages 8–12. 

CONNECTIONS:

After reading George, children can engage in a broad discussion about what types of people often feel left out or misunderstood. Then, as a group, children can write a pledge that expresses their beliefs about how we should treat others. Then, the group can pledge not to bully those who are not always understood, while trying to understand them better.