Colors of Paradise: Community, Self-Expression, Overcoming Challenges, Study notes of Art

Download Colors of Paradise: Community, Self-Expression, Overcoming Challenges and more Study notes Art in PDF only on Docsity! Teachers Notes - All the Colours of Paradise Written by Glenda Millard, illustrated by Stephen Michael King Published by ABC Books, a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Synopsis In this fourth gentle story of the Silks, the focus is on the newest Silk, Perry Angel, introduced in the previous book Perry Angel’s Suitcase. It is about a closed up little boy unfurling, relating to others, trusting others, being helped by the understanding of others and finding himself. Perry has to learn social rules about responding to people and to practise using polite speech. While he may not be the best speaker or reader, and sometimes uses his hands instead of speaking, Perry has other talents, not merely the artistic ones he displays at the end of the novel. Perry’s situation is mirrored in the wider community of Cameron’s Creek. Mr Kadri knows what it is like to find it hard to understand the language and to be in a new, strange place. Mr Jenkins knows loss and needs to find a new place for himself after the death of his wife. The Silks have had their share of sadness too. The story is a celebration of community, of how caring for one another brings in young and not so young, wise and naïve, old and new. Themes  Building a community in which everyone has a valued place whether that community is the family, the school, the wider town.  Allied to this and not at all contradictory is also allowing each person the right to express themselves in their own way, allowing them the time and space to be themselves and to find how they best express their feelings and identity.  Also fundamental to the story is that families are built, and can embrace those who are not blood related: love is the cement.  Friendship is central, such as that language-less but empathetic relationship between Perry and the old, deaf dog Blue.  We are all responsible to, and care for each other. We all need a place where we belong and can be ourselves.  Stories and pictures are valuable ways of understanding ourselves and the world. Writing Style The style the author has written in is deceptively simple, capturing a childlike point of view of the everyday world, and which is rich in detail of the remarkable in the ordinary. It is full of imagery, especially simile and metaphor, such as ‘love is like chocolate, melting in the quiet dark inside you.’ It also has the leisurely pace of life in a small country town. It is third person, omniscient so that we can get into the thoughts of various characters. It is also carefully constructed so that it supports young readers in making predictions about what might happen and why. Importantly it leaves gaps for readers to fill. Author Motivation There are a number of ideas that informed the writing of All the Colours of Paradise. Among them, requests from readers of the previous Kingdom of Silk books for more about the background of some of their favourite characters. But perhaps the major influence was the disparity between the joy I experience while working and playing with words and the times when exactly the right word to express an idea is so frustratingly elusive. This experience evolved into the consideration of what it would be like to permanently experience difficulty communicating, either verbally or in writing. Added to this strand of thought was my admiration for certain illustrators, whose work so aptly and beautifully portrays ideas and emotions, notably Stephen Michael King, to whom this book is dedicated. Essentially the theme of All the Colours of Paradise is self-expression. I decided that Perry Angel, one of my characters from a previous book, would be the one to demonstrate a unique ability to express himself by means other than verbal or written communication; in Perry’s case, by drawing. Perhaps the book is also a quiet comment on society’s expectation of the way knowledge should be acquired and intelligence expressed.  P46 has Perry’s description of number 7 – invite children to write some more, such as ‘8 is like two snakes curled up together on a frosty night’.  P15 ‘Magnificent Multifunction Levitator’ models that language can be playful. Have the students invent other useful devices and give them names. Display the names around the classroom, and see who can work out what the contraption does from its name. Story  Perry likes true (as in real life) stories, such as Violet’s story of indigo’s birth. Talk about different types of stories. Can made up stories be true? For example, All the Colours of Paradise is a made up story.  P41 Perry thinks about the picture book as having ‘the written part, the painted part and the other part which had no name – the secret part that felt like chocolate melting in the quiet dark inside him’. Tall about what that secret part might be Problem solving –  Discuss possibilities of how to help Mr Jenkins fill in his days. See if anyone comes up with Nell’s solution. Prediction: is an important strategy of being an active reader and this book offers opportunities to practise this  p64 what is the window of opportunity that Nell has noticed for Mr Jenkins?  p101 who is coming with Melody and why doesn’t Annie want her to come?  p110 will Perry go with his other mother or stay with the Silks? Art  much in this book is about the expressiveness of art making, so activities that express feelings through art are appropriate, such as Perry’s large purple blanket. This is an opportunity to introduce to young readers the important concept of symbolism and especially metaphor.  Perry draws pictures of feelings instead of things he sees (p10): isn’t that what great artists do? Find out. For example, Picasso, Dali.  Paint or draw ‘Mr Kadri’s heart weighs heavier than a necklace made from the moons of Jupiter’ (p59).  Draw or paint Indigo’s decoration for Saturday breakfast (pp74).  Paint or draw the scene at the Colour Patch Café (p103).  P110 Set up a door (real or mock up) in the classroom and paint Perry’s twelve scenes. On the other side, paint scenes of the class’s choosing (emphasise cooperation and community that is at the heart ofthe book). Before the art activity, show and discuss examples of paintings that act as metaphors for experiences. Talk about the relationship between colour and mood. Picture books are invaluable here. Ideas to talk about  ‘a friend is someone who loves you even when you do something wrong’.  What is the language of pictures? (p60)  Why were the teenagers cruel to Perry? Did they mean to be?  What is Paradise?  ‘Words are just words and they can only change things if we let them.’  What has Perry learned by the end of the story? Activity after reading to celebrate the story  Have a colour-themed food day like Indigo’s.  Discuss and vote on the colour to be the theme.  Why is it important for everyone to be happy with the decision?