OUR BACK YARD
In Rogers Park, a reading rainbow
Students collaborate to create diverse children’s books
B
ren Ortega Murphy, associate professor in the School of Communication, was beginning to notice that many
of her students live, work, and go to school on the Lake Shore Campus but rarely set foot in the surrounding communities of Rogers Park, Edgewater, and Uptown. These areas “are among the most diverse in the country,” she says. Murphy wanted students
to take the opportunity to learn from these vibrant com- munities. So she designed a class focusing on the power of storytelling, which she considers “an important part of building and maintaining a community.” She decided that Loyola students would design storybooks reflect- ing the diversity of Loyola’s neighboring communities. “Storybooks are an impor- tant part of early childhood education, and they teach virtues, celebrate children, give a sense of self worth, and expand knowledge of the world,” says Murphy. The students started by exploring the
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with Loyola art students to create their own picture books that reflected urban environments. Patricia Hernes, associate professor in fine arts in the College of Arts and Sciences, gathered 10 talented art stu- dents, who collaborated with the authors. “My students brought examples of the kinds of work they did, and I tried to match up storylines with the appropriate artist,” says Hernes. Each of the 16 books was hand-illustrated (in varying mediums) and hand-bound by one of the art students. One book, titled “Orange,” was the
(Storybooks) teach virtues, celebrate children, give a sense of self worth, and expand knowledge of the world.”
simple story of a young boy who sees an old woman struggling with a bag of gro- ceries. An orange falls out, and he watches as it rolls along and sets in motion a string of chaotic events. Then the story shows what would have happened if the boy had intervened by picking up the orange for the woman. Another story is about
—BREN ORTEGA MURPHY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
a girl whose parents di- vorce, and she must move from the suburbs to Rog- ers Park with her mom. She does not want to live in the city. But she meets a boy who has made up a fantasy world, such as a secret pirate’s cove in
communities and writing about their experiences. They also spent four hours a week working with students at George Armstrong International Studies Elemen- tary School in Rogers Park. Finally, Murphy’s students partnered
the alley. She begins to see her new urban home in a different way, as she and her mom befriend the boy and his family. Because the class was such a success,
it will be offered again next year. Murphy will publish some of the books and give them to Armstrong School. She is looking into the possibility of getting the books published on a larger scale.
ROSITA AND ANAID Written by Alma
Barragan and illustrated by Miles Wisniewski
24
LOYOLA MAGAZINE
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