Literacy – September 30 – October 4, 2019

Dear Families,

In the coming weeks we will begin to read a powerful book in class, The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman. This book covers homelessness through runaway children in ​Chennai, India.

As stated on the book summary:

Life is harsh in Chennai’s teeming streets, so when runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive, their prospects look grim. Very quickly, eleven-year-old Viji discovers how vulnerable they are in this uncaring, dangerous world. Fortunately, the girls find shelter–and friendship–on an abandoned bridge. With two homeless boys, Muthi and Arul, the group forms a family of sorts. And while making a living scavenging the city’s trash heaps is the pits, the kids find plenty to laugh about and take pride in too. After all, they are now the bosses of themselves and no longer dependent on untrustworthy adults. But when illness strikes, Viji must decide whether to risk seeking help from strangers or to keep holding on to their fragile, hard-fought freedom.

The book while inspirational and thought provoking is also heavy and dark at times.The Bridge Home describes accounts of violence and hardships. It is not overly graphic or gruesome, but anytime we read about violence and hardships in the world, we need to be extra thoughtful to make sure that everyone feels safe. We will discuss strategies we might use to support safety during a difficult reading (such as: taking a break from reading, talking to an adult or friend about your thoughts, journaling, or writing a note to the teacher). We encourage you to discuss this book with your child each week and ask them about their thoughts and feelings.

We also encourage you to read the book as well but please do not have your child read ahead as we want to be able to prep the students and guide them through the material.

On a personal note, this book is incredibly powerful and inspiring. We suggest, if you have time, to read it so that you can have discussions with your children about the world, homelessness, struggles, and love. We are so excited to have this book as part of our curriculum.