THE DREAMER COB
An experience of reading with children
Book Cover.
INES DE CUEVAS
I was always interested stimulate interest in reading in children from an early age. So, I created a play space in school: a place for play and literature in all its forms and genres.
In my meetings with the children I discovered some strategies for each book was a unique experience and motivate the application of other texts. These experiences led to the workshops I teach teachers to encourage the development of a space dedicated to reading in each of their classrooms.
Most important in these processes of reading has been the promotion of respect for the performances of girls and boys about their own "readings" with sincerity judges or arbitrators expressed on the play on words, ideas, emotions, images, illustrations and feelings that make the literature. So the reading was and should remain so, a sharing guide looking into the eyes of children, modulating her voice, and emphasizing each word sounds and the vocal strength and breaks in the levels of suspense and intense action and then listen: let them say their hard or soft words; of complacency or boredom or annoyance ..... silence. Variables that may or may not indicate failure of the text read; inadequacy of the audience to intellectual development, lack of concentration, or problems with oral reading.
For all these potential difficulties, I considered it important to keep track of the views of children, taking into account their experiences of contact with literature and their personal characteristics. What gave me a somewhat clearer guidance to act with greater confidence in the selection of books according to the needs of different groups.
One of those books that impacted in various ways to the children was the dreamer Cob, Maria Luisa Lazzaro (Mérida, Frost Blue, 1995).
was read or rather told (aún inédito) a niños y niñas , pronunciando armoniosamente las palabras por demás poéticas, ya que más que un relato en prosa, es un poema narrativo. Fue leído y comentado con niños de diferentes edades y niveles socioeconómicos y culturales; con niños lectores y no lectores. Luego escuchamos con mucha atención las impresiones de quienes sentían deseos de opinar, así compartimos unas y otras “lecturas” que cada quien con toda libertad expresaba. Mentalmente iba comparando las ideas que venía manejando personalmente acerca del texto.
Como resultado, sin pretensiones eruditas o de análisis literario, se logró entre many opinions, a kind of value judgments, sincere and respectful analysis of tasting child reading the audience for whom the text was intended, at least that's the first impression that shows the Cob dreamy, for the illustrations, its colors, its format, the theme of humanization of an ear-mother who encourages her children to grow up dreaming to making it sensitizes them to look and listen "feeling" the wonders of nature to be something more than physical nourishment, perhaps sensitive food artistic, spiritual high. It is what we see on the last page: "And they began to grow / germinate mana / music heaven / angel food / getting / to the galaxy life / the universe. "
metaphor perhaps not to vegetate, repeating the same "doings and beings, stuck in the pursuit of physical survival and neglecting the infinite possibilities and gifts that nature gives us, art, music, dreams and daydreams, in short, looking up, her heart full of the beauty of everything around us, watching it all on alert: not close my eyes, but also from the inner fulfillment: "Close your eyes / feel the music of the universe / crickets / birds / relentless space travelers. " the music of the universe. "
Well, after an affirmative opinion of children, about the love of the text read, I asked them why they liked?
Among the many responses, some repeated from earlier views, which faithfully transcribed the sincerity with which they expressed, were the following:
"Because he has much fantasy
"Because it's pretty
" Because the grains but did not want to dream and fly cachapas
"Because I feel happy
"Because I really like the tripe arepas and corn have
" Because in the business of my uncle and I do cachapas and see me as a Huummm! rich ...
"Because I am very pleased that story
" Because a few grains of corn are very special
"Because one is left wondering ... What "I asked. - At night, the moon, the stars, so beautiful in all that "he said.
"Because I like it when the granite look to the sun and the moon
" Because you feel happy when you read
"Because it's very nice, I liked it all the chicha, the arepas, lady's ear, the surging gown, beads that were "Why I asked. "Because it's very nice.
"Because causes to be there - where? "I asked. "Where was the ear with all the little children replied.
"Because that mom liked children dreaming.
The only response induced by the question about: - What else would change or would add to the text read?, Was a girl of seven years
-That the granites are not left in the sky to fall again and live with ear tufts.
The little ones (3 to 5 years) made interesting comments on the ears as food: baked, boiled in, etc.
noticed that interest in reading was held in the various groups of children, and even when they asked to be read, again, as happened on one occasion when back to one of the preschool where I had already read, just entered the room, began the following Dialogue:
- Will read again the story of the cob?
-No. Do you want to read it?
"Yes
- Why?
"Because I like
The other children chanted the request: "To read it, read it." One of the children, aged 5 years, with an expression of joy, looked at his classmates as I said nodding:
- cob again!
The concern caused by the reading pleasant situations resulted in children. It's a shame that so many emotions can be collected in a few pages.
Regarding the pictures, expressions and questions from the smallest to see the drawings were
- Where are far from the stars?
- What are the crickets?
- Why the moon is crying ... and the flower and the sun ...?
- Where are the others?
is healthy to think that the pictures should not show everything so that children can imagine and often complete stories or draw his own story, completely alien to the proposed text. In our everyday encounters they have taught me to respect their space for imagination, and although they are amazingly imaginative illustrations when describing every detail, they claim that they are as attached to reality from fiction.
is a pity that in the drawings for the piece: "Look at the Stars that shine far and near" (p.8), children could not identify the stars that were far . For them, all are nearby. Most guys are very clear that, far no means small, or nearby large. For them there is far, far, and nearly is here, close.
In the drawings that correspond to the fragments: "is / mounted / in the sun" (p.17) and "Se / put / on the moon" (p.18 ), the illustrator, Anna Liz Montilla, makes a unique graphical representation: Only one grain was mounted in the sun and gets into the moon. Children as good observers, asked: - Where are the others? I was obliged to reply that they were hidden behind the sun. Another advanced children complete response, noting that - The others are behind the moon.
Asked one child: - Why the moon is crying and the flower and the sun ....? (pp.13-14), replied that "the moon, flower, sun and the owl cry with emotion because the grains are on the counter is going to make delicious pancakes and arepas for all the little children" . There were breaks, many ideas that I was channeling to get back into reading without breaking abruptly from the audience. I could not tell children what I thought about those pictures (Which have nothing to do with the text): for me these tears could become routine scenes in our kitchens Venezuelan painful act. We might rightly ask ". Why these tears at a few grains of corn as they prepare to become cachapa, chicha, buns or arepas? That feeling of pain is not for children. They saw it naturally when they read and when they saw the pictures. And it really is. Corn kernels in Venezuelan cuisine can not become anything else than what we're used to seeing.
It is very important to keep in mind that text and images are not spare parts, are parts of the same frame. They should fit perfectly giving effect to the scenes (pieces of text) to form a harmonious whole and defined.
Possibly the "reading" the illustrator played in these scenes was the metaphor of "death": "Corn mother (who) was taken / the large kitchen counter / dormant grains / were prepared / to make delicious meals " . It once again shows that we are the adults that children connect with those feelings of pain. Small perceive naturally, more true, perhaps.
As a reflection could say that if the world know the characteristics of children the benefit of our adult height "wise", it is likely that some works we crashed as recommended by critics, psychologists and linguists, who have been cold to the scrutiny of so many young readers who are defending their interests and needs. Children are extremely sincere, accept or reject. Its decisions are radical: like it or not. Hence the importance of interacting with them before submitting the book to a publisher.
This text dreamer's ear, was handled by 438 students in preschool, basic first stage of a section of fourth grade. Their ages ranged from 3 to 10 years.
The above work was not yet commercially book was sufficiently requested by children: the boys made it their own and wanted to be in his school to re-read it whenever they wanted. If a child expresses a desire to be read several times the same text, a good sign. What we do not feel good is that those who choose or buy the books that are a las bibliotecas escolares para el público infantil, no son precisamente los pequeños, sino los adultos. Esta es una triste realidad: el gusto, el agrado o desagrado de los adultos por encima de los gustos de quienes en fin de cuenta son los que van a disfrutar de las lecturas.
La poesía narrativa, dialogada, descriptiva, humorística, disparatada y las rondas o corros, son propias del gusto infantil. Y éste es un poema narrativo; clasificado dentro de la degustación lectora de los niños como inherente a ellos, a través del interés que han ido demostrando por su contenido.
Pienso que si me exigieran un opinion on this text should consider it as a narrative, and also the views of children, would be mandatory from the tectonic introspection to all to reach a conclusion on the tasting-no reader of child-only audience comments personal on the material under study.
In this sense I can say that is concatenation and logic: the grains that become dormant arepas, chicha, etc.
And as children to pick up more as a poem poetic language, imagery, sound, which the history, the adventure of the graitos that rode in the sun and the moon went into making "for them, in fact plausible. They felt and said so.
text is also a prospect, and if we address the suggestions about the pictures, will give a vigorous and authentic description of the scenes. Allows a context-addition-information for children about the uses of the ears in the power of man and animals.
is not moralizing or didactizante text, gives children the excitement and reflection is what we perceive their poslectura opinions.
Although this narrative poem has no rhyme-element for exactly the pace that pleases both the smallest, harmony or rhythm keeps a rich interior, contained in melodic phrases that begin in the third segment or sequence. I noticed, when reading to preschoolers, who was from these verses that they were beginning to show interest in reading.
Regarding the issue, first of all, I thought this tenderly poetic literary work-and beautiful-in the hands of l @ s "@ s sabi analysts "have other pejorative connotations by the apparent mockery of traditional Venezuelan cuisine, more, when corn is considered sacred food from which prehispanomericano myth that" man was made from corn. " Also relate the metaphor of Corn mother moved to the large kitchen counter to make delicious meals, with death as a sacrifice of a mother who clearly understood his inescapable destiny: to be eaten, physical food. And, some will dismiss it as children's reading because it can affect kids this death-sacrifice of a mother. In the practice of many similar texts, see that boys are not connected with these existential philosophical readings; they enjoy in the understanding of poetic narrative deslindante, what is fiction, fantasy and reality.
Among the many readings and connotations of this short poetic text melodious to the ears and sensory-rich images, some parallels might be drawn to a mother who had no opportunity or advantage not in time to " grow " and develop an artistic talent or any other kind of high with a clear sense of an inevitable fate to relate only to material support.
This is a mother who decides to encourage or educate their children so they are raised .... connect with other ways to make life full. She herself, the mother ear, grew with their grains: "While maturing / was talking / with their children shining / energy and life."
and awareness in this role are invited to observe the wonders of nature, the colors and shapes, sounds and noises. Nor can we deny free will in children, making them make decisions, wrong or assertive, not all children understood the granite-stimulation of the mother. What could be interpreted as a punishment they were turned into food. The text tells us that "dormant grains were prepared to make delicious meals," is, rather than punishment, to kill them. This is an acceptance of decisions, maturity and level of understanding of one and the other (although these are children).
I think this book will give plenty to talk about or discuss or find, for better or for worse. What is certainly true is that nobody is indifferent to him or rejects it as boring or dull. And that's enough for a book and an author.
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