BookTalk:The Way We Worked

Contributed by Julie Douglas, Family Programs Director

 

The Smithsonian’s The Way We Worked exhibit provides Missourians in six towns with a unique opportunity to explore the theme of work and its impact on our culture.  To engage even the youngest citizens, MHC has created a unique book discussion program for parents introducing them to children’s books that delve into the themes presented in the exhibit.  BookTalk: The Way We Worked helps adults discover engaging ways to think and talk about books and stories with children.  Led by gifted storyteller Steve Otto, participants will meet fascinating characters and delve into their stories in the two-hour discussion programs.  Participants will read and discuss five children’s books and then take the books home to share with their children.

In SAM JOHNSON AND THE BLUE RIBBON QUILT by Missouri author Lisa Campbell Ernst, Sam is snubbed by the local quilters club. After all, as the president of the club says, “We can’t have a man here bungling everything!” The book humorously explores the role of gender and work, and the power of working together.

Readers of THE OX CART MAN by Donald Hall will travel along with a man who makes a yearly trek to sell the goods that his family has produced.  This warm, poetic story explores the seasons and the role that work plays in a family’s life.

Wilson A. Bentley spent his lifetime doing what he loved…creating photographs.  According to Bentley, “Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others.”  Bentley played a major role in the field of microphotography and earned the nickname “Snowflake Bentley” because of his fascination with ice crystals.  SNOWFLAKE BENTLEY introduces readers to this passionate inventor and his work.

Mary Smith had a most unusual job…shooting peas at the windows of fellow townspeople.   She and other fellow “knocker-ups” made sure that everyone from the laundry maids to the mayor woke up in time to do their jobs. The delightful language and humorous illustrations make MARY SMITH by Andera U’Ren both educational and entertaining.

Rosa and her family are saving their spare change in a large jar. When the jar is full they will buy a soft, beautiful chair to replace the one they lost in a house fire. A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER is a touching story of a family’s perseverance and explores the themes of community, working towards a goal, and saving money.

The Way We Worked will be showing in Ste. Genevieve until November 5, and then travel to Rolla from November 19 to December 17, Poplar Bluff from January 3 to January 31, Fulton from February 11 to March 10, Lawson from March 24 to April 21, and finally to Savannah from May 5 to June 2.  Check the calendar at www.mohumanities.org for dates for BookTalk programs in these communities.

Steve Otto Shares Insights from BookTalk in Ste. Genevieve

Do YOU remember RADIO… and those days when the entire family sat around the old Zenith console and let their imaginations transport them to other places and other times?  If you do, you probably remember the work ethic of growing up as “Depression Kids” in the United States.  Don’t remember those times?  Well, it is a part of our history and our culture that is brought to life through the Smithsonian Exhibit The Way We Worked. 

Seventeen young mothers and fathers attended BookTalk: The Way We Worked at the Bolduc House in Ste. Genevieve on October 18, 2011.  None of the parents had experienced the era featured in the exhibit, and none had been to see the exhibit at the Ste. Gen Tourism offices yet.  They came to BookTalk because their children’s teachers had invited them to attend an evening of reading and discussing five wonderful books dealing with the theme of work.

The five books are children’s picture books, all beautifully illustrated, including several Caldecott Award winners. The books explore themes such as community, self-reliance, creativity, and gender.  But there is so much more!  Each book has a wonderful story to tell about how and why people work.

The group really got into the story of a real English lady, Mary Smith, whose job involved getting up early and shooting a pea shooter at the windows to awaken people.  This story takes place in a time before alarm clocks. (We all wondered WHO woke up Mary Smith.) The Ox Cart Man was another of the group’s favorites.  The fact that the farmer actually walked for ten days to get to the place to sell his goods was a revelation to all.  Everyone enjoyed A Chair for my Mother, a book that is also used in the READ from the START program. We spent two hours discovering the stories between the lines, exploring the illustrations, and talking about the theme of work.

Did the group, after reading and talking, discover things that they had not thought about before?  I think so! Most were amazed that my own parents had put me to work at age nine, selling papers on Sunday mornings.  (They did that, not because we needed the money, but because I needed to learn about WORK!) I believe the participants in BookTalk will take these books home to read to their children and, hopefully, visit the Smithsonian Exhibit with their children.

When The Way We Worked comes to YOUR area, take your children and your parents . . . these are the stories of our lives!

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