Module 4: Because of Winn-Dixie

· Book cover image:
 

                                                 
· Book Summary: 

Because of Winn Dixie takes place in Naomi, Florida where India Opal Buloni and her father, the Preacher, have just moved to from Watley. It has been seven years since Opal’s mother left and never came back. Opal says her father is a turtle because he retreats into his shell and doesn’t come out to face his problems. Both are lonely and hope for the return of Opal’s mom. One day the Preacher sends Opal to the grocery store with a grocery list and is very specific about keeping to the list. While in the produce section, Opal encounters a dog creating  chaos in the fruits and vegetables section. The dog “smiles” at Opal and she tells the store manager that the dog belongs to her. The first sign she sees is the grocery store name so she calls the dog Winn Dixie after the store chain’s name.

In Naomi, Opal and Winn Dixie become friend with many of the locals who are tortured, lonely souls just like them. Making friends does not come easy to Opal, but Winn Dixie helps her to befriend the less fortunate, as the Preacher would urge. Along the way Winn Dixie and Opal make life a little bit better for the local librarian, Franny Block, who first thought Winn Dixie was a bear, Gloria Dump, who has a bottle tree in her backyard to ward off the ghosts of her past, and Otis, the musician, who plays music for the animals in the pet store. Through out the story, Opal continually wants to know about her mother and asks the Preacher to tell her ten things about her mother. He begrudgingly obliges Opal’s request, but the memories are painful and thought provoking for Opal and the Preacher both. This story is about life, love, and family, no matter who they are.

· APA Reference of Book:

DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

· Impressions:

As the story unfolds, it is apparent Opal is wise beyond her years, an old soul some would say, but still very childlike in her approach to life. Her loneliness comes through the pages of the story in her narrative; and it is so real and heartfelt. The reader is drawn immediately to listen as Opal utilizes Winn Dixie as her sounding board and confidant. The ease of the storytelling is what grasps you and keeps you wanting more. Each new chapter tells someone else’s story as it mixes with Opal and Winn Dixie, but as I was reading these stories are the tales of every day life. A mishap at church, a witch in the neighborhood, a dog afraid of thunderstorms; these are the stories that happen to all of us. The beauty of this book is that if we think about it we have had similar experiences except we think of  them as being just life. Opal has a way of making everyday seem inspiring and memorable. What stands out is how everyone that Opal meets has a tidbit of advice or a nugget of wisdom that Opal reflects on and treasures. The exchanges between Opal and the character seem to change the person and Opal to become a better, more moral, or decent human being. The advice is not blatant or obvious in your face it just comes across naturally. Gloria Dump, the witch, who is almost blind, tells Opal to tell her all about herself so that she (Gloria) can see Opal with her heart. This is how many people see loved ones, but maybe it should be how we all see others, with our hearts. What is very clear about Opal is how she is basically a judgment free zone. She doesn’t judge on first impressions mostly and even if she does she has an open mind to change her opinion. Just like she views “pinched faced” Amanda after she learns about her life’s tragedy. This book has life lessons in just about every chapter. Like the Littmus Lozenges that taste differently to everyone, life depends on our own experiences and sorrows. Opal’s story left me feeling like there is so much more that we can do as humans and it is a relatively easy process of friendship and community.

· Professional Review:

Gr 4-6-India Opal Buloni, 10, finds a big, ugly, funny dog in the produce department of a Winn-Dixie grocery store. She names him accordingly and takes him home to meet her father, a preacher. Her daddy has always told her to help those less fortunate, and surely Winn-Dixie is in need of a friend. Opal needs one, too. Since moving to Naomi, FL, she has been lonely and has been missing her mother more than usual. When she asks her father to tell her 10 things about her mother, who left the family when Opal was three, she learns that they both have red hair, freckles, and swift running ability. And, like her mother, Opal likes stories. She collects tales to tell her mother, hoping that she'll have a chance to share them with her one day. These stories are lovingly offered one after another as rare and polished gems and are sure to touch readers' hearts. They are told in the voice of this likable Southern girl as she relates her day-to-day adventures in her new town with her beloved dog. Do libraries need another girl-and-her-dog story? Absolutely, if the protagonist is as spirited and endearing as Opal and the dog as lovable and charming as Winn-Dixie. This well-crafted, realistic, and heartwarming story will be read and reread as a new favorite deserving a long-term place on library shelves.

James, H. F. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. School Library Journal, 46(6), 143.

· Library Uses:

In a library setting you could set up a display of the “Ten Things About Opal’s Mother” for the students to review. Have a whole group discussion about creating questions using Opal’s mother list to help learn more about themselves. One question could be, “Do you have a hobby or something you like to do?” just like Opal’s mother was good at gardening and making people laugh. As a class think about and list questions or sentence starters the students could use to come up with their ten things,.

Now pair the students into groups of two to talk first about “Ten Things about Me.” This could be done as a question and answer piece or as an interview. Both partners have to write ten things about themselves. To report out their ten things, make suggestions as to how to display their list. A powerpoint, diorama, poster of “My Ten Things” or a mobile are some suggestions for different displays or as a class decide on a uniform display for all the students to exhibit their work in the library.

Module 3: Magic Windows

· Book cover image:

· Book Summary:

In Magic Windows - Ventanas mágicas by Carmen Lomas Garza, her family and their traditions come alive in papel picado or cut-paper art. In this traditional folk art form Lomas Garza captures special family moments as seen in her piece titled “Offering for Antonio Lomas.” This one image is made from ten sections that are tied together and measures five feet by eight feet. The artwork gives the viewer the impression of looking out the window at Lomas Garza’s grandfather as he waters his vegetable garden. As one continues to look out the window one sees a cat sitting on the fence and a horned toad in the vegetables. Being that the art is solely made out of paper is astonishing and almost unbelievable, but Lomas Garza also includes memories that inspired this piece in the margins of the page. Family beliefs, customs, and rituals are also depicted in her papel picado works. “Dance for the Day of the Dead”, “Paper Flowers”, and “Little Tortillas for Mother” are done with such clarity it is hard to believe the images are made solely out of paper and not another medium. Lomas Garza includes animals in her book because of their special meaning to her heritage. Again all of the pictures include a narrative of their meaning to her life and her heritage or ancestors. One work of art title “Dance and Painting” even features the artist’s hands painting on a skirt of a Mexican jarabe tapatío dancer. It is hard to fathom the artist is working uniquely in paper cutouts.

· APA Reference of Book:

Garza, C. L. (1999). Magic windows (D. Schecter, Ed.). San Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press.

· Impressions:

As I picked up this book I wondered why I would even pick it up. There was an animal of sorts looking out from behind big leaves and other greenery, and it was done in navy and yellow. Odd color combination I thought. What could possibly be magical and what windows? When I opened the book the first paragraph did not catch my attention until Lomas Garza wrote that the images were created out of paper and a craft knife. Now I could view the windows and see into her world. At first view it does not seem possible that the images are purely paper. How do they (the images) stay together? Well Lomas Garza explains it in her narrative in the book’s margins. In “Nopal Cactus” the delicate spines of each cactus hold the piece together. Incomprehensible! How could this be possible I wondered? I had to look very closely to see that each nopal frond was linked to the next by either a spine or a crease in the dirt in the desert. Amazing! This was my only reaction at first. Her next piece in the book was “Offering for Antonio Lomas” a representation of her grandfather in his garden. I too had a grandfather who had a garden. I would also help him water his garden and that was the best time with my grandpa, Mi Dad. I just loved spending time with him talking and connecting. I remember the baby carrots were the best. This is the first image that I needed a tissue with. As I continued to read the book it brought back memories of my family going to the gravesites of our departed and cleaning and painting their tombstones for The Day of the Dead (tissue number two). “Little Tortillas for Mother” brought a smile to my face at just seeing the papel picado. It seemed like I could actually smell my grandmother’s tortillas and see her rolling them out on the counter. Lomas Garza refers to her mother making tortillas as “an act of love … (mesmerizing) that it seemed like the rest of the world fell away (1999). No one could have embodied the sentiment better (tissue number three). As the book continues Lomas Garza tells her story but it is our story too. Her experiences are our experiences. The book does not seem like a picture book with only 32 pages; it felt like a whole lifetime of memories and poignant in the rendering of those memories.

As one views the artistic works, one has to look very closely as to not miss the tiger in the foliage, the women in the flowers, the deer in the corn, and the message of love, life, and family in the papel picado. Carmen Lomas Garza’s Magic Windows is a surprise in art and truly magical.

· Professional Review:

A collection of full-page reproductions of Lomas Garza's papel picado, cut-paper art, accompanied by short explanatory narratives in Spanish and English. The intricate cutouts have bold, thick lines and severe angles and the artist uses delicate connectors, such as cactus spines and corn silk, to hold the images together. Most of the cutouts are done with black paper, although a few are cut from yellow or blue paper, and all of them feature a generous use of negative space through which monochromatic backgrounds of yellows, blues, pinks, oranges, and greens are revealed. Many of the pictures present scenes of the Mexican-American artist's childhood and family, such as a close-up of her grandfather's hands cutting a nopal cactus. The remainder are scenes of Mexican flora and fauna, such as two hummingbirds drinking nectar from cactus flowers. A brief description accompanies each scene. Although the cutouts successfully demonstrate Lomas Garza's considerable artistic skill, the presentation is not entirely effective. The reproductions appear flat, making them look more like computer-generated art than fragile paper cutouts. The book can best be used and most fully appreciated in conjunction with a hands-on introduction to the art form. 

Agosto, D. E. (1999). Preschool to Grade 4: Nonfiction. School Library Journal, 45(7), 87.

· Library Uses:

Before the use in the library: The librarian would have already read Carmen Lomas Garza’s book Making Magic Windows and practice making papel picado.

In the region of Texas where my school is located, we do celebrate Day of the Dead with the students. We often build alters with pictures of our loved ones, mementos of their lives, and food offerings they would have enjoyed. In the library this book would be read aloud to students and be a wonderful lead into making their own papel picado.

This project could either be making papel picado to decorate around the alter or if the students want a more intricate picture, they could use paint and one solid color of paper to get almost the same effect as Lomas Garza’s work. A narrative would then be added to discuss the life scene of their loved one.