• Home
  • Our Shop
  • About Us
    • About MKB
    • Our Shop
    • MKB Board
    • Editorial Board and MKB Administrators
    • Our Contributors
    • For Bloggers: Join MKB
    • Books and Products from Our Members
    • Cultural Resources
    • Contact Us
  • Product Promotion Services
  • Blog Hops & Series
    • Holidays Around the World
      • Martin Luther King Day
      • Chinese New Year
      • Purim
      • Passover
      • Easter Around the World
      • Ramadan
      • Hajj (Eid al Adha)
      • Rosh Hashanah
      • Day of the Dead
      • Diwali
      • Hanukkah
      • Christmas in Different Lands
    • Heritage Months
      • Black History Month
      • Women’s History Month
      • Asian-Pacific Islander Heritage Month
      • Middle Eastern and North African Heritage Month
      • Hispanic Heritage Month
      • Native American Heritage Month
    • Blogging Carnivals
    • Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop
    • Global Learning for Kids
  • Resources for Raising Global Citizens
  • Privacy Policy

Multicultural Kid Blogs

For families and educators raising world citizens, through arts, activities, crafts, food, language, and love.

Geraldo, by Ann Margaret Sharp: Book Review and Workshop

January 9, 2015 by Catarina Queiroz

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

“Leaving my old country, my grandfather and my friends was so sudden that I wanted to stay silent forever” in Geraldo

Geraldo is a sensitive and inquisitive boy whose whole world is uprooted as he suddenly moves to another country and is immersed into a new culture. His initial reaction is withdrawal and silence, as he takes in all the newness and strangeness. Although overwhelmed at first, he never accepts the labels that are imposed on him, like “slow learner” for not being able to master a new language as quickly as expected. Alternatively, he shows us his rich inner life, thoughts and personal theories on topics like death, time and self. The path towards cultural integration is not an easy one, but slowly and surely Geraldo does it, with the help of an understanding teacher and new friends at school.

This book is rich in philosophical and existential content, making us reflect on the nature of the reality we live in: is it a fixed and stable absolute, or rather an ever changing and flexible construction? Geraldo also raises questions about how the education system should deal with the integration of students from different cultural backgrounds and the meaning of a strong and just democracy in a global world. From this boy’s touching experience we come to realise that the way we deal with difference might very well be the key to a balanced and healthy society.

In conclusion, Geraldo is a brilliant Philosophy for Children book, reflecting on the experience of moving to a different country and acquiring a new language, and promoting philosophical inquiry on this theme. Along with its Teacher’s Manual Discovering our Voice, Geraldo can be used as a valuable resource for working with third culture kids and their families, as well as their teachers.

881844

As I mentioned in the book review above, the story Geraldo was thought up to be used in Philosophy for Children sessions with the help of the Teacher’s Manual Discovering Our Voice. At the moment I am preparing an Intercultural Workshop for Expat Kids using these materials. Following the Philosophy for Children model, the sessions will be held in a Community of Inquiry style, where everyone works together in order to discuss relevant topics, acquiring valuable thinking and life skills.

Here is an example of the contents of a session, based on the Teacher’s Manual:

Leading idea: Newness and strangeness

“Geraldo begins his story by telling us that he lives in ‘a new country – a strange country’. Children, as well as adults, often respond with fear or rejection to things which are new or strange”.

Goals:

  • Distinguish newness from strangeness and attempt a definition of each concept;
  • Debate whether new and / or strange situations are something we should be afraid of.

More information about Philosophy for Children and my workshops will soon be published on my blog.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather
The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts

Catarina Queiroz

Catarina is a freelance writer living in the beautiful city of The Hague with her husband and daughter. She was born in Portugal, but spent her childhood in Africa, an experience that has shaped her life and interests. She has a B.A. in Philosophy and is also a trained teacher. Traveling, for leisure and cultural enrichment, and reading, especially crime and historical novels, are her passions. You can read what she has to say on parenting and expat life, plus get your hands on one of her delicious recipes, on her blog craftiemum.com

Latest posts by Catarina Queiroz (see all)

  • Geraldo, by Ann Margaret Sharp: Book Review and Workshop - January 9, 2015

Filed Under: Books for Children, Expat Life, Parenting, Third Culture Kids Tagged With: book review, expat children, expat life, multicultural children's books, review, third culture kids

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Trackbacks

  1. Becoming Bilingual: A Piece of Cake? says:
    January 19, 2015 at 2:02 am

    […] More about this issue here and here. Also a great resource for parents of bilingual kids here. […]

  2. What is Philosophy for Children? - CraftieMum says:
    February 16, 2015 at 2:02 am

    […] check out this great Philosophy for Children resource that I wrote about at Multicultural Kids […]

  3. Bilingual says:
    February 16, 2015 at 7:53 am

    […] More about this issue here and here. Also a great resource for parents of bilingual kids here. […]

  4. Geraldo, a Book for Multicultural Families - ByCatarina.Com says:
    May 4, 2015 at 12:16 am

    […] This article was first published here. […]

Follow Us!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on Google+Follow Us on TwitterFollow Us on PinterestFollow Us on RSSFollow Us on Instagram

Anti-Bullying Resource FREE Download

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Grab Our Button!

grab button for Multicultural Kid Blogs
<div class="multicultural-kid-blogs-button" style="width: 200px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="https://multiculturalkidblogs.com/" rel="nofollow"> <img src="https://multiculturalkidblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/button-take-3.jpg" alt="Multicultural Kid Blogs" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div>
Multicultural Children's Book Day Co-Host

Archives

Copyright © 2022 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT