Discovering ThemselvesThrough Books

Our elementary school librarian, Mari Pongkhamsing, has the fun of observing children’s budding interests as they expand and develop with age. Mari helps children find books that excite them. In addition, she reads out loud to every class, TK through fifth grade, inviting their comments about the material.

Recently she was surprised by the comment of a first grader that reflected what he has learned about a particular subject that fascinates him. She was reading a picture book called My Daddy Is a Cowboy, by Stephanie Seales. The last page features a bright, swirling design of colors. Mari was about to close the cover when a first-grade boy quickly raised his hand and said, “That’s a mola from the Guna people in Panama.” Mari was surprised by his observation; it had looked like a lovely montage to her. Later she looked on the internet, and sure enough, he was right! This boy has a passion for exploring books about cultures around the world.

Children have budding interests before they form a sense of self. The library is a place where the question “Who am I?” can be answered, at least temporally, by another question, “What do I like to read?” The library allows children to recognize their individuality through pursuing a subject few others their age their age find interesting, like the life cycle of the Venezuelan poodle moth. On the other hand, students also enjoy the conviviality of choosing books many classmates gravitate to, like kindergarteners’ enthusiasm for The Magic School Bus or third graders’ love of graphic novels.

The fun of being an expert In the library, children can become experts on a subject or even a person who intrigues them. They can find books that teach them how to draw, aid their discovery of amazing facts about animals, or inform them about the lives of Taylor Swift or soccer star Lionel Messi. Finding books that beckon you to follow your interests is an empowering experience.

Discovering these books can also make children aware that others’ minds have been ignited by a particular subject and that they’ve written or illustrated books about it. Those people are called authors and illustrators, and in their classes, children learn to be authors and illustrators too.

Judging illustrations Our library provides a chance for all the elementary students to develop their sense of what great illustrations look like. Every year kindergarteners and elementary children in every grade spend their library time for four weeks exploring each of that year’s Caldecott Medal nominees. Mari chooses books to read that are predicted Caldecott favorites for that year.

At the end of the month, the children vote on which of the books they think deserve the honor. This year the children’s unanimous nominee to win the Caldecott for all grades was a book called Home in a Lunchbox, by Cherry Mo, the story of a little girl who moves from Hong Kong to America. Though her new school seems foreign, she finds a feeling of home when she opens her lunchbox and sees dumplings and bok choy. Home in a Lunchbox was chosen as a Caldecott Honor book.

Mari says she doesn’t focus on the difference between what the judges picked in any given year and what the students choose. “The point of studying and comparing these beautifully illustrated books is for them to decide what they like and excite them more about reading.”

Library wish list Mari has an Amazon Wish List for parents and grandparents who would like to donate books to the library.