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Hope's Gift


Title: Hope's Gift
Genre: Historical Fiction
Author: Kelly Starling Lyons
Major Awards: 2014 Storytelling World Award, 2013-2014 IRA/CBC Children's Choices
Age Group: 1st-3rd grade

 This is a story about a young girl Hope, and her father having to join the war. On Christmas one year, her father explained to her and her brother that he was being sent to fight in the war. He gave Hope a conch shell as he was saying goodbye and told Hope, "That's the sound of freedom, Hope. And nothing can keep it from coming. Nothing." Hope clung tight to the conch and these words in the coming months whenever she was missing her father. When the canons would roar each night, Hope would desperately pray for her father's safe return and hold the conch to her ear. Many times, Hope's family would get word that President Lincoln was freeing the slaves, but it was always false. Hope continued to miss her father and cried often, with the holidays being the hardest time for her. One spring morning, to Hope's surprise, she saw her father come toward her as she was working in the fields. Her father explained that they were finally free. In the end, all the slaves were sent home and they lived happily in freedom.

 I would like to use this book in my classroom! It opens up the students' eyes to how hard it was for children in this age to live without a parent and the anxieties these children had each day. It shows them to have empathy and to realize how fortunate they are to live in a time where they are free. 

 I think that first through third grade is the most appropriate audience for this book. It is written from a young girl's perspective, so I think that students would be more apt to read it because of that factor. It also is super easy to understand and has a very simple plot. There are a lot of words on each page, but they are easy to sound out. Also, the pictures really help show the meaning of the story! 

 In my classroom, I could have my students write about what they would give to their loved ones if they had to leave the country for an extended period of time. I would teach them the importance of giving something that has meaning and would help their loved ones know that they are doing ok. I would also discuss with them the importance of members of the military, and how we should appreciate the work they do for our country. I could even have the students write them letters, showing their appreciation. 

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