Many children harbor negative views of elderly
people. Some children even fear seniors. This article will explain how to use
children’s books to counteract those
fears and negative stereotyping.
The
Problem and the Cause of Children’s Negative Views of Elderly People
Research done by the American Association for Retired
Persons, teamed with the National Academy for Teaching and Learning about
Aging, found evidence that a majority of American children hold negative views
of the elderly. This discovery should be no surprise. The elderly are revered
in many other societies, but American society worships the young and
beautiful.
It is perplexing to think that the world’s greatest
country doesn’t give the aged the deference that they have earned. Testimony to
this allegation is the fact that the ailing Medicare program for our senior
citizens during former President Bush’s administration was sacrificed in our
federal budget to tax cuts, and viable solutions for the social security
situation were not being addressed.
If adults have
such little veneration for the elderly, how can we expect our children to have positive views? Children truly learn what they
live. However, the example adults set
isn’t solely responsible for our children’s negative view of the elderly.
According to the
Center on Aging, Health and Humanities, children’s views concerning older
people are greatly influenced by the books, stories and verse that they are
exposed to at an early age. A good
example is a verse from a traditional folk song - “There was an old woman who
swallowed a fly. I dunno why she
swallowed the fly. Perhaps she’ll die.”
Armed with such
verse, beloved as it is for its fun and nonsense, and with the portrayals of
wickedness and wretchedness of older people in some Grimm or Anderson fairy
tales, is it any wonder that the elderly are viewed as silly, inconsequential,
and utterly disposable?
Using
Children’s Literature to Promote Positive Views on Aging
It’s not as if
the market for children’s literature portraying the elderly in a positive light
hasn’t been tapped. There is much good
literature on the market that does just that.
The availability is evidenced in the extensive reading list compiled by
a joint effort of the Association for Library Service to Children and George Washington
University
Since positive
reading material is available, then possibly the degree to which we are
actually exposing our children to it is the crux of the problem. If the reading of such literature is not
encouraged by parents, librarians, and teachers, then its potentially positive
impact can’t compete with the negative impact of the age-old fairy tales
entrenched in our literary culture.
After all, how
familiar are our children with the positive portrayals found in books such as Grandfather’s
Journey by Alan Say, or Valerie Flournoy’s The Patchwork Quilt? Can the extent of children’s exposure to such
magnificent literature even compare with the number of times they’ve either
read, heard or seen in film the story of Cinderella or Rumpelstiltskin?
How do we begin to
address discrepancies in the degree to which children are exposed to these two
types of reading material? One obvious
place to begin is in the home, the school library and the classroom. Parents, teachers and librarians need to
provide appropriate literature and find creative ways to employ lessons and
projects using books that portray aging in a positive light and that encourage
inter-generational interaction.
Annotated List of Recommended Books that Promote
Positive Views of the Elderly
Ackerman, Karen. Song and Dance Man.
Grade level K-3: In this Caldecott winner, Grandpa, a retired
former vaudeville performer, enthrals his adoring audience, his three
grandchildren.
Flournoy,
Valerie. The Patchwork Quilt. Illus.l
by Jerry Pinkney. 1985. 32p. Dial Books for Young Readers, (0-8037-0097-0).
Grade level K-3: So that the old
ways won’t be forgotten, Tanya and her grandmother together work on a patchwork
quilt made from pieces of their old clothing.
As Grandma explains, “A quilt can tell your whole life story.”
Giff, Patricia
Reilly. Pictures of Hollis Woods.
2002. 166p. Wendy Lamb Books, (0-385-32655-6).
Grade level 5-8: Twelve-year old Hollis is taken into the
foster home of Josie, an artist who inspires Josie to express herself in her
own drawings. Josie is slipping into
dementia, and Hollis struggles to save her relationship with this woman she has
learned to love. Since students
participating in a nursing home visitation project would most likely encounter
dementia in some of the residents, this book would be appropriate preparatory
reading.
Hamanaka, Sheila. Grandparents Song. 2003. 32p.
HarperCollins, (0-688-17853-7).
Grade level K-3: Grade level K-3: This is a rhyming celebration of
ancestry and our country’s diversity that tells the story of a girl who traces
her ancestry back through her Native American grandparents.
Hittleman, Carol G. And Daniel R. A Grand Celebration:
Grandparents in Poetry. Illus. by Kay Life. 2002. 32p. Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press, (1-56397-901-2).
Grade level K-3: This poetry anthology celebrates grandparents of all
ages, cultures, and degrees of energy.
This selection would be great for read-alouds during observances of National
Grandparents’ Day.
Hunter, Dette. 38 Ways to Entertain Your
Grandparents. Illus. by Deirdre Betteridge. 2002. 47p. Annick Press,
(1-55037-749-3).
Grade level K-3:
This is a lively picture book that details 38 activities that use common
materials for grandparents and grandchildren to share.
Lakin, Patricia. Grandparents Around the World.
1999. 32 p. Blackbirch Press,
(1-56711- 146-7).
Grade level 3-6: This selection examines the role that grandparents play
in various countries, discussing their position as the elders in their
cultures.
Love, Ann and
Drake, Jane. Kids and Grandparents: an Activity Book. Illus. by Heather
Collins. 2000. 160p. Kids Can Press, (1-55074-784-3).
Grade level 3-6: This is a collection of more than 90 activities, crafts
and recipes for children and grandparents to do together.
Mead, Alice. Junebug and the Reverend. 1998. 185p.
Farrar, Strauss, Giroux, (0-374-33965-1).G
Grade level 4-6: In this sequel to Junebug, Mead, his mother and little sister Tasha have left the
projects for a new home where his mother begins work as the residential manager
for an apartment building for the elderly. Mead (nicknamed Junebug) is given the daily responsibility for walking
an elderly emphysema patient, old Reverend Ashford.
Rotner, Shelley and Kelly, Sheila. Lots of
Grandparents. Illus. by Shelley Rotner.2001.32p. Millbrook Press, (0-7613-2313-9).
Grade level K-3: Beginning with the words for grandmother and
grandfather in seven different languages, this book emphasizes the foundation
of racial diversity and multiculturalism, as well as the varying types and
abilities of grandparents. The variety of photographs can lead to enlightening
classroom discussions.
Siebolt, Jan. Doing Time Online. 2002. 88p. Whitman, (0-8075-5959-8).
Grade level 3-6: When Mitch plays a
trick on an elderly neighbor, he is sentenced to one month of community service
chatting twice weekly online with a local nursing home resident. Their
conversations are mutually beneficial as the resident helps Mitch apologize,
and Mitch helps her accept her circumstances. This is relevant reading in
preparation for a nursing home visitation project.
Zindel, Paul. The Pigman.
1968. 182p. Harper Collins, (0-06-026828-X); Harper Trophy, paper, (0-06-075735-3).
Grade level YA: Two teenagers
from unhappy homes tell of their bizarre relationship with an old man who they
first trick and then befriend.
