Come With Me – Perfect Picture Book Friday

Spread the love

Title: Come with me

Author: Holly McGhee

Illustrator: Pascal Lemaître

Publisher: G. R. Putnam’s Sons. 2017

Ages: 4-8

Themes: making a difference, hope, empathy, small acts of kindness

 

Opening:

All over the world,
the news told
and retold
of anger and hatred–

People against people.

And the little girl was frightened
by everything she heard
and saw 
and felt.

Synopsis:

When the news reports are flooded with tales of hatred and fear, a girl asks her papa what she can do to make the world a better place. “Come with me,” he says. Hand-in-hand, they walk to the subway, tipping their hats to those they meet. The next day, the girl asks her mama what she can do–her mama says, “Come with me,” and together they set out for the grocery store, because one person doesn’t represent an entire race or the people of a land. After dinner that night, the little girl asks if she can do something of her own–walk the dog . . . and her parents let her go. “Come with me,” the girl tells the boy across the hall. Walking together, one step at a time, the girl and the boy begin to see that as small and insignificant as their part may seem, their contribution makes a difference.

Why I like this book:

Many children have undoubtedly noticed adults reacting to current events both locally and globally with concern, and have often more recently observed their caregivers’ active participation in local politics and/or recent marches. They feel even if they don’t fully understand some of the ugliness and unrest around us, even in our own neighborhoods. They hear what adults discuss, they sense our fears and have their own. One of our roles as adults is to help kids make sense of the world. It can be pretty terrifying and incomprehensible for young children to understand the levels of violence they sometimes catch on the t.v., for example. Explaining such pain and  tragedy to children is challenging, and we need find appropriate ways to help our kids feel safe and in control of their world. The little girl in this story seeks the advice of her parents and finds through each act of kindness and courage, that she too can make the world a better place, and how much more fun that can be when done with others. 

The is a book accessible to all readers. The direct message, simple watercolor illustrations with a warm muted palette, a diverse group of people (e.g. a picture of a man wearing a turban and a woman in a burka), lots of white space and a hopeful message remind us that no one is too small to make a difference in our richly varied communities. The truth that we can’t let fear stop us from living our lives is relevant to us all, and even the youngest child can feel the value of being kind and brave.

In all the craziness we see around us daily at the moment, this is a book that leaves the reader with a sense of hope and purpose. It reassures. I love how the parents decide not to live in fear and so they let the little girl walk the dog, alone (well, she chooses to share in her “Kindness walk” with a friend). I would recommend reading it to every elementary school class.

Resources/Activities:

The book itself is a perfect springboard into discussion with even very young children. As the author and illustrator say at the beginning of the book:

Come With Me is written in honor of friendship, bravery, and the fact that we aren’t powerless, no matter how small and insignificant we may feel.” The author wrote a very helpful article in the Washington Post on “Teaching children how even the tiniest person can make a difference.”

Brainstorm with your class a list of simple ways they can make the world a better place.

This is a must read from the author’s website about the story behind Come With Me.

Pair this with LAST STOP MARKET STREET and MOST PEOPLE.

Don’t miss the wonderful interview I did with the illustrator, Pascal Lemaître, this week.

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and/or activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics, here on Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

 

This entry was posted in Perfect Picture Book Friday, resources & activities for elementary school teachers and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

13 Responses to Come With Me – Perfect Picture Book Friday

  1. Jilanne Hoffmann says:

    I love how this book shows that by welcoming interaction with others, you can make the world a less scary place. It’s when we build walls, when we close ourselves off, when we let fear guide our actions, that’s when we feel more out of control and hopeless. We can choose to spiral up or spiral down. This book chooses up. I love that!

  2. Wow, I really like this picture book! We really need so many timely books like this. It is so important for children to be open and not live in fear — especially with all that they see and hear in the news. I love that the child initiates the conversation with her parents as it shows that kids are aware of what is happening in the world and want to be part of the solution.

  3. Gabi Snyder says:

    Combating that sense of powerlessness is so important. Great choice!

  4. Keila Dawson says:

    Adore this theme! Adults can learn from this story too. Small things matter. Thanks for sharing, I must read this book.

  5. Wow! What an opening! This books sounds so needed. I’ll be looking for it.

  6. This sounds like just the book we need some days! Thanks for sharing it.

  7. Wow! Big message in such a beautiful book. Even though we are little we can make a BIG difference. Adults could learn a lot from this. I must check if we have it down here. Thanks Joanna.

Leave a Reply to Gabi Snyder Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.