Toning the Sweep
Publication Information
Author:  Johnson, Angela	Illustrator:
Title:  Toning the Sweep	Date:  1993
Publisher:  Scholastic Inc.	City:  New York
ISBN, paperback:	ISBN, hardback:  0-590-48142-8
Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes	ESOL:
Family:	Young Adult:   Yes
Picture:
General Information:
Book Type(s):    fiction
HSE Descriptor(s):
Summary:
Emily goes to the desert with her mother to help her dying grandmother Ola pack up her house and move. She slowly comes to terms with her family history and her coming loss.
Teaching Ideas:
This book is rich, and there are many threads students and teachers could follow. Students may want to explore the idea of using cameras to provide perspective on one's life, perhaps in conjunction with MacLachlan's Journey. Teachers may want to combine this book with others set in the desert (like Baylor's I'm in Charge of Celebrations ), and build on map reading/geography skills. Teachers may want to talk about the ways we prepare for loss and grief (perhaps with Rylant's Missing May or Rylant's I Have Seen Castles ), and ask students to keep a journal or write personal accounts. Teachers may want to spend time talking about the title and the visual metaphors of the book. Students may want to reflect on their relationship with their grandmothers, read other works with strong women characters, or write their own family histories. Perhaps the book would be best appreciated by women.
Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
Art and Photography > photography Ethnic Groups > African-American Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > coming-of-age Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > death Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > grief Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > group > relationships > intergenerational Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > loss Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > love Family > grandparents > grandmothers Geography > environment > desert

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