Whew! That was an oddity of book - I feel a little unsettled, I NEVER thought I would be reading a children's book about crack. Taylor took the nursery rhyme, "The House that Jack Built," and morphed it to encompass the story of how a crack house tore down an entire community. The abstract people make them seem In the end there is hope for CHANGE.
Controversial and "unfamiliar" maybe, but the truth of the matter is, that in many schools around the country where there is an overwhelming population of children who are directly impacted by drug use/abuse, whether it be within their peer group, their families, or their community. No matter how much we may wish to pass off children as "innocents" their lives are complex and difficult too. Books like these help children understand that they are not alone.
This book is "recommended" for ages 4-8. Where this book may seem appropriate for some school audiences, I do not see how it would ever be appropriate to read in a conservative, rural elementary school, like that which I attended as a child. I imagine the uproar from parents would likely lead to a teacher's termination - however justified the reading may have seemed. With a book like this, you need to pick-and choose your audience, as introducing a classroom of kindergartners to the perils of crack-cocaine addiction may not be the best of approaches in a "home-town" school-setting.
I also found some of these controversial topics to be surprising! I totally agree with your thoughts on the book. Inner city elementary students may benefit from reading and being able to relate to this book, where as most other schools would not approve. Four to eight seems really young to be talking to children about this topic, but I suppose all children are to young to be living and dealing with those conditions! Great review, I am interested in reading it now to see how explicit it is.
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