The Girl with the Brown Crayon

The Girl with the Brown Crayon Vivian Gussin Paley Review by K. Winick-Ford I am inspired and amazed- such a treasure to American literature, Paley shares her numerous years as a kindergarten teacher with her unique insight. She is insightful, being mindful of her students, their needs and the changes our society is facing. Although all her stories are wonderful and easy to read, the girl with the brown crayon connects well-loved stories by a well respected author and how the class connects and adapts and evolves through the days. Too often we read about the short attention span of youngsters and their self-involvement and disconnectedness. Paley revives the soul- she shares authentic stories of her children, seeing the light they bring to our culture. My favorite quote from the book is this, "apparently I needed classroom after classroom of young children demanding to be heard before I could identify my own voice and imagine my own questions." Pg. 43 This story, with obvious connections to racial identity is an easy read for all adults. The connections between Leo Lionni's books parallel What truly inspires me is how the class, as young as they are, relate to the books and the hidden messages they reveal. The book won several awards and there's no doubt to me, well deserved. The main character, Reeny is strong and dominate throughout the book, showing signs of great leadership. The author reveals on her birthday why she is at the school she attends rather than a more local one. The issue of race and leadership is unveiled. It reminded me not only of the racial inequalities we face each day, but also how a child will not respond internally to leadership but will react when opportunity presents itself. The issue of sexual identity is also presented and how children respond to the characters in the stories. The author explains to the children why they were written the way they were and poses an in-depth question as to whether or not they have to be male. Again, the children respond thoughtfully. Never underestimate children. As the book draws to a close, Paley tells how the children respond to emotional crisis in the classroom and in their lives. She also tells how they mature and develop. Their insightful connections to the stories they have heard and how they connect them to their lives is amazing! From the Polish boy back to Reeny, the story comes full circle. The closing is appropriate. Not only is it the end of Paley's school year and her teaching career, but she leaves us with the tools we may wish to use- a list of Leo Lionni books, which many must be eager to revisit. In short, this is a fantastic book that you will be a better teacher and a better person having read it.

The Girl with the Brown Crayon is a book that displays a journey through a kindergarten classroom which can only be described as a unique adventure of self discovery. Vivian Paley is the author as well as the kindergarten teacher of this very classroom. During her last year of teaching, she meets an interesting child named Reeny who leads Paley as well as the rest of the class on an exploration through the books and illustrations of Leo Lionni.The Girl with the Brown Crayon is a book which covers important topics that cannot be learned in any college course. It discusses issues of identity and acceptance seen and felt through a child. I enjoy Paley's excessive use of dialogue. It aides in capturing the emotions felt by the characters and allows experiences to become more realistic in the readers eyes. Overall, I recommend this book to future educators. It will teach you to become more open to your students thoughts and ideas rather than constantly focusing on certain curriculum. It will allow you to see the vastness of opportunities education can hold for you and your class!

I enjoyed taking my time reading this short book. In fact, a few pages into reading it, I realized that I needed to go to the library and check out the Leo Lionni books that Ms. Paley refers to in her book. Thus, the Lionni tales were like station stops for me while I read Ms. Paley's book. I recommend doing the same for you, if possible. What became for me the great points of the book were these elements: I enjoyed how she spent the entire year's curriculum focusing on one author for her children. This fits into Ted Sizer's curriculum dictum that "less is more." It enables the children to make vertical connections between the stories instead of the usual horizontal transitions that teachers make as they "cover" their material.Also, I enjoyed the emphasis that Ms. Paley puts on narrative continuity in her classroom. She structures her play around stories and her stories become play. In this sense, she helps shape for her young learners the important qualities of discovery learning and meaningful dialogue. Finally, I simply love reading her graceful prose. She, herself, is a masterful storyteller.

My daughter received this book as a Christmas present, but guess who read it first - MOM! In fact I read it in one evening, because I thoroughly enjoyed Vivian Gussin Paley's ability to create a wonderful, creative learning environement in her classroom with the use of Leo Lionni's books. As a teacher, myself, she inspired me to use literature as a way of self-discovery. She did a wonderful job of portraying this in the story.

Vivian Paley has written a magical, deeply moving account of teaching, children, and the stories of Leo Lionni, and what can happen in a classroom during the course of a school year when a teacher knows how to listen to and learn from the children in her charge. This eloquent book is a must for parents and teachers both, for anyone who wants to learn more about the power of stories in the classroom.