Family is everything, and in the world of our children and their education, little things mean a lot, especially taking an active interest in our children’s learning experiences. Such are the lessons taught in M. Ann Machen Pritchard’s children’s book, Val’s World: Featuring the Family Roundtable.
In Val’s World, the students at the school are having a presentation of school slogans at an assembly. I for one appreciate slogans; they can be both simple and empowering at the same time. The fact that the students are engaged in the process is a key element in the story. Teacher invites Val to the assembly, where she has a few surprises of her own.
Pritchard beautifully incorporates the value of slogans (“Going to school is really cool”), breaking bread, and the roundtable as a time to share, celebrate our children’s education, and address their needs.
Note: for an additional treat, check out page 65 on.
For her work, in 2013-2014, Pritchard was honored to be a winner in 50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading, and she is available for speaking engagements for positive intervention, especially school and community events. In her words, “I want to help to encourage families to come together and be a family again because the young children also need the love, respect, strength, and love from their families to get a good education in school and to grow into good and productive citizens.”
Thank you, Ms. Pritchard, for demonstrating the importance of family unity, both at home and in the classroom. Representation matters.
W.D. Foster-Graham
W.D. Foster-Graham is a native son of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a B.A. in psychology from Luther College, and he was an original member of the multi-Grammy-Award-winning ensemble, Sounds of Blackness. He has also been recognized by the International Society of Poets as one of its “Best New Poets of 2003,” is a guest writer for journalist/author/entertainer Wyatt O’Brian Evans.
