Synopsis:
The World Belonged to Us is a book that embodies the nature of summer. From the moment school ends, everyone is playing and having fun. This book captures the energy of Brooklyn as everyone is doing many different activities from playing sports, playing outside, and playing with friends. With the many diverse characters in this book, you can feel the joy and freedom that Woodson is trying to convey. Overall, this book brings people together from all different backgrounds with play showing everyone that anyone can be free.
Anti-Bias Elements
Diverse Illustrations
The illustrations by Leo Espinosa truly bring out the joy and excitement of this book. With the fun and bright images, you can truly feel the friendship among people. This is exemplified by how in every single page, there are many different colored skin toned people. Since this book is based on Brooklyn, it shows the sense of community and neighborhood as everyone is just one block away. No matter what skin color you are, or where you come from, everyone has the opportunity to play. In summary, Espinosa conveys inclusivity in the community by illustrating many different people from diverse backgrounds.
Promotes Positive Self-Identity
Not only is this book meant to be filled with fun and joy, but Woodson actually discusses about children's self identity. For example, one page states, "And if someone said Boys don't cry, some big boy always said 'Oh yeah?' and had a story about the time he cried and cried until our eyes grew wide." With this, Woodson challenges gender stereotypes that boys are not allowed to cry. Instead she shows an anti-bias environment telling children that it is ok for boys to cry. She normalizes all of these feelings and showcases strength, and hopefulness.
Woodson and Espinosa's Cultural Background
Jacqueline Woodson is an African American author and specializes in writing about marginalized communities. This means that she is especially familiar in writing about the experiences in Black individuals. Her background brings diversity and character to the story. For example, there is a lot of scenes where Black children can relate to this book. In one case, Woodson shares her experience of having curly hair. With this, Woodson draws from her own experience where children can also relate to this as well. Her understanding of being a person of color makes this book more authentic. Even Leo Espinosa's background adds to the anti-bias nature of this book as he is a Latin American. With his background, it is clear to see that the colors pop and stand out. Everything is vibrant and does an amazing job showcasing all of the many different hairstyles and clothing's that children wear. The way that he illustrates things makes it so that everyone is together and he pays attention to the smallest details.
Comments
Post a Comment