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Synopsis
After helping to knit and sew together the squares of a blanket to be sent to a country at war, Josie dreams of what life is like for the girl who will receive the blanket as ...
Children's Literature
How do young children develop a social conscience? Reading certainly makes children aware of people and situations in need of assistance. Hopefully, through characters, children may learn appropriate responses and actions to help those in need. In this poignant chapter book, Josie and her classmates contribute one square of knitted wool each to make a colorful blanket to warm a child in a war-torn country. The country in conflict is never named, which is just as well, since conflicts exist all over the world. Josie's teacher explains why the blanket is necessary and who is likely to receive it. However, it is Josie's dream that makes the urgency for the blanket more vivid. In her dream, a young girl, Amina, shivers as artillery explodes outside her window. She is alone; her mother has gone to look for food and firewood. Josie wants desperately to help the frightened girl. When Josie offers the blanket, she can see it provides warmth and comfort to the child. Through the dream, children see that the conflict, although many miles away, is not a faceless one. Real children are hurting and real children can help them. This thought-provoking title is one in the publisher's "Yellow Bananas" series. This book is an excellent choice for elementary school social studies classes. 2002 (orig.1996), Crabtree Publishing, Pettenati