Monday Book Blogging

This morning, courtesy of jurassicpork, the girls and I watched some of Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream speech. Though she asked a few questions, I could not hold the 5yo's attention. I got a few minutes further with the 7yo, but even she lost interest after determining that Grandma was, in fact, not there. So it was just Martin and me, and those hundreds of thousands, dreaming of a world of peace and justice.

For today's book, I've chosen a Navajo legend, How the Stars Fell into the Sky, written by Jerrie Oughton, illustrated by Lisa Desimini.


I guess we've been trying to figure out how we made such a mess of things for a long time. And with a spoiler alert, let me say that this is as good a reason as any.

As the pulse of the second day brought it into being, the people rose and went about their lives, never knowing in what foolish haste Coyote had tumbled the stars...

...never knowing the reason for the confusion that would always dwell among them.

I don't know where to go in discussing such a big topic with the girls, so we take it in small pieces. My ever-reliable, "some people believe," line gets me some mileage, but I can't explain to them why the values of the people in power are so different from my own. I can't explain how hatred just keeps getting reborn. Over at the crack den the other day, Phila got a good laugh at my naivete when I commented that I was shocked that the 7yo had heard someone on the schoolbus say to one of the few black kids at the school, "I hate black people." Phila assured me that this is impossible, for there no longer exists racism in our society. It's alright, Ma, I'm only dreaming.