The Day You Begin
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrator: Rafael López
28 August 2018
Nancy Paulsen Books
32 pages
Book description from Goodreads: “National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and two-time Pura Belpre Illustrator Award winner Rafael Lopez have teamed up to create a poignant, yet heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone.
There will be times when you walk into a room
and no one there is quite like you.
There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it’s how you look or talk, or where you’re from; maybe it’s what you eat, or something just as random. It’s not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it.
Jacqueline Woodson’s lyrical text and Rafael López’s dazzling art reminds us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes-and how brave it is that we go forth anyway. And that sometimes, when we reach out and begin to share our stories, others will be happy to meet us halfway.”
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Reading Activities inspired by The Day You Begin:
- Before Reading–From looking at the front cover:
- What do you notice first about the child on the cover? What might she be thinking or feeling?
- What colors and patterns stand out? What mood do they create?
- What might “the day you begin” mean?
- Why might it feel hard to walk into a room where you feel different from everyone else?
- What questions would you like to ask Jacqueline Woodson or Rafael López before reading the book?
- After Reading–Now that you’ve read the story:
- Why does Angelina stay quiet while the other children talk about summer trips?
- How do Rigoberto and the other children feel left out?
- Why does it matter that the teacher says Rigoberto’s name carefully?
- What do the illustrations show about the characters’ feelings that the text leaves unsaid?
- What can people do to make room for someone who feels new, unseen, or left out?
- Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why/why not?
- Map It Out: Angelina says that books can take you places. With a parent, sibling, or reading buddy, find a map or globe and locate Venezuela, France, Maine, India, Spain, and South Carolina (all places mentioned in the book). Which one would you most like to visit someday?
- Ruler Spotter: López adds rulers into some of the illustrations. Look back through the book and see how many you can find. Now grab a ruler or tape measure and measure three ordinary things around the room. Then make your own paper ruler. Instead of numbers, fill its marks with things no ruler can measure: a good laugh, a favorite story, a hard-earned skill, a person who cheers you on, or anything else that matters to you.
- Story Bag: Place three small objects into a bag (like a toy, a photo, a keychain, a library card, a sports medal, anything that means something to you). Sit with a parent, grandparent, sibling, or friend and take turns pulling out one object and telling its story.
- Books, Books, and More Books!: Check out these real-world picture books about the first uneasy moments of feeling like the only one in the room:
The Arabic Quilt by Aya Khalil, illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan
Kanzi’s grandmother’s Arabic quilt helps her new class see her differently.
The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh by Supriya Kelkar, illustrated by Alea Marley
After a move turns his world gray, Harpreet’s colors eventually come back.
My Two Blankets by Irena Kobald, illustrated by Freya Blackwood
Cartwheel’s familiar words become a blanket until a new friend arrives.
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
A jar of possible names makes Unhei wonder whether her own name s is good enough.
The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S. K. Ali, illustrated by Hatem Aly
Asiya’s first blue hijab transforms an ordinary school day into something much bigger.
