No Mirrors In My Nana's House

No Mirrors In My Nana's House

Imagine yourself as a little child. Who was it that told you who you were or what your value was?  We look to those around us for identity, acceptance, love, and support.  No Mirrors In My Nana's House is about a little girl who does not look at a mirror to find her identity, but to the loving eyes of her Nana.  

      Her Nana's love allowed her to be blind to the poverty that she lived in.  She was filled with wonder by cracked walls, embraced the garbage strewn floors, and enjoyed her clothes that were probably hand-me-downs and didn't fit well.    

    This book is a multicultural book for children 5+, and would fall under the Biography/Memoir genre, as the writings are authentic and the representations of life are very vivid (Galda, Cullinan, & Sipe, 2010, p.12).  This story depicts a time and feeling in a little child's life.  

The bright and colorful illustrations bring an additional depth to this story.  There are no faces on the characters in the illustrations.  The blocks of color and shapes of the people display a colorful beauty that is not defined by specific features, but as the book teaches, by what they are intrinsically.




Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think she saw about herself in her Nana's eyes?

2.  Why do you think her Nana decided not to put mirrors in her house?

3. What would you see in the eyes of those in your home if you didn't have mirrors?

Motivational Activities:

1. Draw pictures of your family and describe what you see through your eyes as mirrors of them.

2. Write about what you think others see when they see you.  Include at least 3 of your best qualities and characteristics, and 1 thing that you see that you can do or change to be a better person, student, or child.  

Reference

Barnwell, Y. (2005). No mirrors in my nana's house. New York, NY:HMH Books for Young 

      Readers.

Galda, L., Cullinan, B., & Sipe, L. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: 

      Cengage Learning.