My grandfather used to quote this to me, telling me that we all are part of the world and we need to work for others, not only ourselves.
'No Man is an Island'
No man is an island entire of itself; every man (and woman)
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's (and womans') death diminishes me,
because I am involved in (human)kind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
MEDITATION XVII
Devotions upon Emergent Occasions
John Donne
It is November, election month, is a great time to share this new rhyming picture book by Dave Eggers. When I read it, I remembered the John Donne words above, and celebrate that this book shares that same message for younger children, really for us all.
If you study social justice in the classroom, if you want to share and inspire your own children, or grandchildren, to be good citizens, this will be a terrific book to read together. I hope it will inspire you readers, too. Lists can be made to see where in the community one can help. From small deeds to large ones, all of us need to find some way to help our neighbors, our neighborhoods, our towns and cities.
In rhyme with delightful cut-paper illustrations by Shawn Harris, Eggers shares a simple and straightforward message :
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| From a beginning looking out. . . |
"A citizen's not what you are--
a citizen is what you do.
A citizen cannot forget
the world is more than you."
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| To going out and joining in, wherever one sees a need.
Enjoy the book when you can, go out into your special world and find actions that will make it better.
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