Sunday, November 4, 2007
Becoming Naomi Leon
I really liked the fact that in , Becoming Naomi Leon, the mother was the character that had left her family. Too often we see father figures portrayed as the characters who have have the affair, or have a drug problem, or get sick of being tied down to the family. this was a refreshing twist to the story line. further, I really enjoyed the fact that author, Pam Munoz Ryan, really incorporated the idea that Latina families were strongly connected to not only their immediate familiy but also their extened family adn their close friends. She did a great job of putting a good light on the "kinship" of the Latina families...I really enjoyed it adn will look out for other books she has written!
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3 comments:
I agree with having the mother be in the "wrong" in this text. The last few books we have read, and many others I have come across in the classrooms involve an absent father. For the children in the class I am currently in, three of them have an absent mother and live with their father. I think that books like this would help them relate better to a character and let them know it is not just them that is in this family situation. I also like how the small family that they have (Gram, Owen, and Naomi) is a happy and positive one. This shows that the typical "standard" family is not necessary for a family to work.
I agree i think in alot of literature especially children's literature the father gets painted as the bad character. Although in our society it seems that the father abandons or leaves children more times than the mother, i think it shows some creativity by showing the mother as the bad character. it also gives a different view of why some father's may not be active in their children's lives. Some students want to be active but mothers are'nt allowing them.
I also thought it was interesting that the mother in Becoming Naomi Leon was depicted as being a "bad mother." In a lot of literature the father leaves the family; however, in this case, the mother left the family. However, Skyla made me really mad. I was appalled by the way she treated both Naomi and Owen. At times I just wanted to scream at her. Another thing I liked about this book was that it put a very positive light on unconventional families. Although Naomi and Owen had an uncommon family situation, they were both happy and well adjusted. I think that this is an important message to convey to children because in today's society so many families do not consist of a mother and a father.
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