How many children grow up conscious of how they look? From colourism to fatphobia and gender stereotyping, social conditioning takes its toll in children in different ways. Some time ago, I read Unfair with my book club, which addresses the same theme as Beautiful Leela. For older readers, another book on the same theme is No. 9 on the Shade Card. Even as I get set to read this one with ages 9 and 10, I wonder–will we ever reach a stage when the book is no longer relevant? I certainly hope so!
Meanwhile, here’s what we will do as we read.
Book Discussion
Before we begin, let’s look at the cover. What do we notice about it? What do we think about the name?
When we move into the book, we’ll talk about it again. What kinds of discrimination do you know about? How does discrimination take place? Uncomfortable conversations often spark change!
Music
Leela loves to sing–and so do most children! In class, we’ll make some space for music. I’ve asked my participants to perform several times in class, so this time, we’ll do something different. We’ll listen to a song together and try to add one stanza to it, working on rhythm and melody.
Journalling
Like Leela in the story, we will work on a little journalling. What would you write in a journal entry titled “The day Mom told me the meaning of beautiful“? What other ideas can we address in a journal?
Join a programme!
Read, Write, Explore is perfect for children who enjoy stories and are tentatively exploring creative writing. Unlike at my intensive writing programme, I don’t expect children to do assignments each week. Rather, we explore a book and do a little bit of writing, focusing on getting started and dabbling in different forms of creativity. This is a programme that runs right through the year. New batches begin every alternate month–join us as we read our next three books together!
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