The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, Chapter 8

Kenny mentions "a new hood thing." He's talking about the hood ornament that's on the front of a car, right in the middle. They used to be pretty fancy. Here's a collection of what Plymouth hood ornaments looked like when the Brown Bomber was made in 1948. It's a little hard to see the wings. Maybe one wing has already been "scientifically and mathmatically" removed.

Not many men use a shaving brush anymore, let alone twice before shaving like Kenny's dad, but this is what Dad would have used to apply his shaving soap. Next to it is a bottle of Old Spice after shave. This bottle was the style used in 1963.

  

Kenny's dad was gone a pretty long time if he missed all shows Kenny watched. He mentions Felix the Cat, Soupy Sales, Beany and Cecil, The Rae Deane Show, and Betty Boop. Then he says the worst cartoon ever made was Clutch Cargo. Here's a clip. You decide if Kenny is right.

This one was actually mentioned at the very end of chapter 7. It says "Dad brought home the TT AB-700 in the Brown Bomber." The TrueTone AB-700 would have been similar to this item.

So, who knows how records play music? Let's work backward. Now songs are digital downloads. Before that there were CDs. Continuing backward in music technology, there were cassette tapes, 8-track tapes, and then these relics called records. A needle rested on a record, the record spun slowly, and gravity held the needle in place. The needle sensed bumps and marks in the grooves of the record and transferred those bumps to sound. However, this could happen, especially if the player was bumped. Hmmm . . . why might a car not be the best place for a record player?

Kenny jokes about Walter Cronkite talking about something on the news. In the days before instant information via the Internet, 24 hour news channels, and Twitter, most Americans got their news from two places. Newspapers and the evening news. Walter Cronkite was the nightly news anchor for the CBS evening news from 1962-1981.

Momma's song:

Kenny's song:

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, Chapter 7

Two of the following people are mentioned by name in chapter 7, and one person is not. Their names aren't really as important as their hairstyles. (I like one of them much more than the others. Just saying.)

The first person is a famous singer from the 50's and 60's named James Brown. The second is a man named Yul Brynner, famous for his lead role in The King and I. The final image is Bozo the Clown.

Once again, Indians circling the wagons. Where's Byron? Where's Momma?

Kenny pretends he's holding a bugle to play what he calls the "Day is Done . . ." song that's played at funerals. The song is more commonly known as "Taps."

If you've ever studied wolves, you know that there is one wolf in every pack known as the Alpha. He's the leader. There are sometimes challenges to the Alpha by other wolves in the pack, but the biggest and strongest usually ends up being the leader. 

So what happens if a Chihuahua wants to challenge the Alpha wolf? What if "Every Chihuahua in America Lines Up to Take a Bite Out of" the Alpha wolf? 

vs.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, Chapter 6

Byron asks Momma if she's gonna embarrass him like a "blanged peon." Later in the chapter Byron gives Kenny his own personal definition, but just in case his is . . . not quite accurate, shall we say? . . . maybe this on will help. (Byron would be using definition #3.)

peon¹

n

1. a Spanish-American farm labourer or unskilled worker

2. (Historical Terms) (formerly in Spanish America) a debtor compelled to work off his debts

3. any very poor person

Now that Byron is convinced he is a peon, he complains about welfare food, specifically powdered milk and a big block of cheese. Welfare is is not an official name, but it is a term used to describe a United States program started during the Great Depression to provide for families who, for various reasons, are not able to provide for themselves. (Remember what you know about the Great Depression. Why might people have needed help?) One way aid was given was with food.

Powdered milk is created through a process that evaporates the liquid from milk leaving a powder. Water is then added to the powder to make milk. (Powdered milk is a big part of baby formula.)

Cheese was provided in large blocks, but not quite the forty pound loaf Byron mentions.

Swedish Cremes. Two words: Yum. Yum.

Kenny and Byron see a bird sitting on a telephone wire. It's described as "about the size of a pigeon and was grayish brown with a long pointy tail hanging underneath it." Byron says, "That's a mourning dove, they're the coolest birds in the world, don't nothing shake them up!" 

Finally, Kenny says that if a genie gave him three wishes, he "wouldn't mind using all three of them to wish some real bad stuff on [Byron]." And not stupid things like the fairy tale lady who wished her husband had a sausage on his nose. I didn't know, but that's an actual story, although the husband is the one who wishes the sausage onto his wife's nose.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, Chapter 5

Momma tells the story about how her house caught on fire when she was a kid and for two years after that she and her brothers had to wear clothes that smelled like smoke. Byron and Kenny call it her Smokey the Bear story. Smokey the Bear is a character created by the United States Forest Service to help teach kids about wild fires, and he's been around a while. The Watsons may have see this commercial from 1963, and since Kenny talks about reading comics a lot, maybe he read this Smokey the Bear comic.

Kenny compares Momma to Eliot Ness, the cop in the TV show The Untouchables. The show ran from 1959 through 1963, so Kenny and the family would have certainly been familiar with the show. It was about police officers in the 1930's battling organized crime (like old-time gangsters Al Capone or John Dillinger) in Chicago.

When Momma shows up with the following items, Joetta know she's serious this time. (Byron takes a bit longer to figure it out.)

At the beginning of the chapter, Momma says, "I swear that with God as my witness!" Later, she reminds Joetta that she swore to God. First of all, let's be clear. In this case swearing is not the same as cursing. Swearing is to make a promise or take an oath. Cursing is using bad language.

This kind of swearing is a big deal. In the United States, when someone goes to court, they have to put their hand on a Bible and "swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Lying after taking that oath in court is called perjury, and it's a serious crime. To a religious person, like Momma and Joetta, swearing before God is even a bigger deal based on their religious beliefs.

Other people swear an oath too, like the president in the oath of office saying, “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." This is President John F. Kennedy taking that oath of office. He was president in 1963.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, Chapter 4

Now we live in Wisconsin, so we understand about being bundled up in winter clothes. And I know (because I was a kid once too) how kids argue with Mom about how many items of winter clothing is actually needed. Am I the only one whose mother ever said, "I'm a bit chilly this morning. You'd better put on an extra sweater."? The kids below have been dressed up for winter. How are they the same or different than Kenny and Joetta?

Kenny says that Byron was slowly walking around him in circles which meant Kenny had to keep turning in order to give Byron his non-cross-eyed sideways look. Kenny said it "must have looked like we were in the Wild West and I was a wagon train and Byron was the Indians circling, waiting to attack." Maybe he was thinking of something like this:

On the other hand, most of the time when I think of wagons in the old west, it was the wagons that did the circling in order to protect the travelers. Do you think Kenny had them mixed up?

Byron tells Kenny and Joetta all about how the cold affects people, especially people from the south like their mother and kids like them whose blood is half southern. His story has something to do with a garbage truck like this one. See the big door on the back, big enough for . . . ?

These are definitely some nice looking, warm gloves. Momma must have been really worried about her kids becoming "Froze-Up Southern Folks."

Zoom in on this 1960's washing machine. (It's not a Maytag. It's a Kenmore brand, but you should get the idea of what Larry Dunn was doing.) It might take a while for Larry Dunn to go through all the wash cycles in one of his Maytag Washes. Now imagine what a Super Maytag Wash might be like.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, Chapter 3

Rufus is amazed at the size of the squirrel he sees when he and Kenny are eating lunch. He figures any squirrel that big must be stupid. In Arkansas all the squirrels that size would have already been made into stew. What do you think? Which of these squirrels would Rufus see around your school?

OR

One of Kenny's favorite toys is his collection of plastic dinosaurs - a pillowcase full of them! It doesn't say exactly what they looked like, but these are probably pretty close.

Finally, Larry Dunn keeps calling Rufus "Country Corn Flake" and his brother "Little Flake." Now, I'm not sure this is where it came from, but this commercial is from the 1960's. Might city kid, a bully, use a commercial like this to make fun of someone from the country?

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, Chapter 2

Chapter 2 is entitled "Give My Regards to Clark, Poindexter" and refers to Byron, Kenny, and Joey's elementary school. Clark Elementary School is still in Flint but has been abandoned and is no longer in use.  If you are interested in owning a piece of children's literature history, the building is for sale.

When the teachers ask Kenny to read, he reads from a book by Langston Hughes. Hughes was a famous African-American poet. Knowing that Kenny was reading poetry to the older students might help us understand why slowing down would be a better way for Kenny to read.

Comic books have always come with amazing products advertised in the back pages. Readers willing to believe the ads, and part with their hard earned $1.25, could purchase ways to get stronger, x-ray glasses, Sea Monkeys, and an entire fleet of battleships! (See some examples here.) Kenny says he's ordering a book called Learn Karate in Three Weeks! Maybe the ad was something like this one.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, Chapter 1

The Watsons might be going to Birmingham, as the title suggests, but they live in Flint, Michigan. You're Wisconsin kids. You know what winters can be like here. Why would winters be similar in Flint?

View Larger Map

When Dad imitates Hambone Henderson, he says that a movie called Nanook of the North was filmed in Flint, Mitch-again. Was it really? Nanook of the North is a real movie filmed in 1922. Take a look at this clip. What was Hambone trying to tell Wilona?

After Dad's creative impression of Hambone  Henderson, Momma says that "Birmingham is a good place, and I don't mean just the weather either. The life is slower, the people are friendlier--" but Dad interrupts with a comment about the 'Coloreds Only' bathrooms there. What is that all about? Keep that in the back of your mind as we continue reading.

This isn't a bathroom, but the picture still helps us understand what Dad is talking about.

Finally, we are introduced to the Brown Bomber, a 1948 Plymouth that Dad got from Uncle Bud. Take a look at this picture and compare it to the description in the book and the events that happen around the car. (Sorry, but I couldn't find a good image of a brown one.)

Casey at the Bat

Here is a classic cartoon version of Casey at the Bat. As you watch, look back at the original poem. Think about  how the author's description is shown in the cartoon. What is the same? What is different? How does seeing this "performance" help your understanding as a reader?

Here is another version of Casey at the Bat. It is only audio, but even so, hearing it read aloud can help your understanding as a reader. Why is that? You also heard Mr. W. read the poem out loud. Does hearing a different person read it aloud make a difference? How? Why? Why not?

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

As we read The One and Only Ivan, keep a close eye on the chapter titles. Most chapters are quite short. How does each chapter title, sometimes only a word or two, prepare readers for that chapter? Is it a clue to what is to come? Is it descriptive? Does it give anything away?

Think about the chapter title after reading each chapter as well. Do you better understand why the author chose that title? Does is make better sense? Are you curious why that title was chosen?

Finally, after finishing the book, does looking back at the chapter titles help you recall the story's events? Do some titles take you back to certain parts? Certain emotions? Certain reactions?

(In the book the chapters are not numbered. They are numbered here to help us find where we left off each day and to help locate certain ones in class discussions.)

The One and Only Ivan - Chapter Titles

1. hello
2. names
3. patience
4. how I look
5. the exit 8 big top mall and video arcade
6. the littlest bit top on earth
7. gone
8. artists
9. shapes in clouds
10. imagination
11. the loneliest gorilla in the world
12. tv
13. the nature show
14. stella
15. stella’s trunk
16. a plan
17. bob
18. wild
19. picasso
20. three visitors
21. my visitors return
22. sorry
23. julia
24. drawing bob
25. bob and julia
26. mack
27. not sleepy
28. the beetle
29. change
30. guessing
31. jambo
32. lucky
33. arrival
34. stella helps
35. old news
36. tricks
37. introductions
38. stella and ruby
39. home of the one and only ivan
40. art lesson
41. treat
42. elephant jokes
43. children
44. the parking lot
45. ruby’s story
46. a hit
47. worry
48. the promise
49. knowing
50. five men
51. comfort
52. crying
53. the one and only ivan
54. once upon a time
55. the grunt
56. mud
57. protector
58. a perfect life
59. the end
60. vine
61. the temporary human
62. hunger
63. still life
64. punishment
65. babies
66. beds
67. my place
68. nine thousand eight hundred and seventy-six days
69. a visit
70. a new beginning
71. poor mack
72. colors
73. a bad dream
74. the story
75. how
76. remembering
77. what they did
78. something else to buy
79. another ivan
80. days
81. nights
82. project
83. not right
84. going nowhere
85. bad guys
86. ad
87. imagining
88. not-tag
89. one more thing
90. the seven-o’clock show
91. twelve
92. H
93. nervous
94. showing julia
95. more paintings
96. chest-beating
97. angry
98. puzzle pieces
99. finally
100. the next morning
101. mad human
102. phone call
103. a star again
104. the ape artist
105. interview
106. the early news
107. signs on sticks
108. protestors
109. check marks
110. free ruby
111. new box
112. training
113. poking and prodding
114. no painting
115. more boxes
116. good-bye
117. click
118. an idea
119. respect
120. photo
121. leaving
122. good boy
123. moving
124. awakening
125. missing
126. food
127. not famous
128. something in the air
129. a new tv
130. the family
131. excited
132. what I see
133. still there
134. watching
135. she
136. door
137. wondering
138. ready
139. outside at last
140. oops
141. what it was like
142. pretending
143. nest
144. more tv
145. it
146. romance
147. more about romance
148. grooming
149. talk
150. the top of the hill
151. the wall
152. safe
153. silverback

Snowflake Bentley

Thanks to everyone who came to our annual Bedtime Stories reading night. One of the books we read was Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and illustrated by Mary Azarian.

The book does a great job of telling Snowflake Bentley's story, but it includes only three of his actual snowflake photographs, and those are hidden in the back. Here are some additional photographs of his amazing images. And remember, what makes them even more spectacular is that these pictures were taken between 1885 and 1931, way before any sort of fancy photography equipment like digital cameras.

Soccer - Happiness, Heartbreak, and the World Cup

A penalty shootout plays a major role in Keeper by Mal Peet, not only in the games, but in the Keepers instruction to El Gato. Here are two examples of penalty shootouts. Watch for things El Gato mentions. Do the shooters look at the keepers? Who looks more nervous? Who has more pressure? Look at the emotions displayed by shooters and keepers when shots are made, missed, or saved.

Remember, shootouts only come after two 45-minutes periods and two 15-minute overtime periods. That's 2 full hours of soccer. These players are physically and mentally exhausted, playing for the greatest trophy in the world, and they know that there are billions of people watching their every move.

And they are all playing for this:

The World Cup Trophy

The Women's World Cup Trophy

And here is another spectacular shootout, but I was unable to embed the video in this post. But it's worth watching.

CLICK HERE