A story about how change can be hard, but when you have a friend to experience it with, you can persevere through the hardships of life.
What is this story about?
A girl named Jessica goes through a traumatic event, requiring both of her legs to be amputated. She then gets paired with a rescue dog named, Rescue. Both Jessica and Rescue help each other heal and get through the difficulties of change. In the end, they become the best of friends and continue to discover their new normal.
Meet the Authors:
Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes
Jessica and Patrick are husband and wife co-authors. They were injured in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. This book is based on true events. Several months after the bombing, they added Rescue to their family. This is their first picture book they have written. They currently live in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Meet the Illustrator:
Scott Magoon
Scott Magoon is an illustrator, author, and designer of children's books. Some of his books include: Breathe, The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot, Mostly Monsterly. Scott was also a witness to the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing, however, thankfully was not hurt. He currently lives in Boston, MA with his family. Visit his website, ScottMagoon.com to find out more about him!
My Critique/Review:
As I was reading Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship, I was so touched by the strength and perseverance that this book promoted. This book, which is a Schneider award winner, was so real and raw, depicting the hardships Jessica went through, but most importantly, how she overcame them. Reading this book, I loved how it not only pulled in the reader with the text, but the beautiful illustrations as well. Both the authors and illustrators did a phenomenal job of working together to create this beautiful, real-life book. Furthermore, this book meets my expectations of a children's book because it was captivating, taking the reader on Jessica's journey. This book incorporated friendship, imagery, and made me admire Jessica's outlook on life. Lastly, this book teaches readers that you may hit a bump in the road of life, but with determination, hope, and help from others, you can overcome it. Books that incorporate important life lessons like this, are books that I will remember for years. Thoughts:
As I read this book, what stood out to me the most was the illustrations. The illustrations were created digitally using computer based art. I loved how the illustrator brought the reader on a journey through Boston, the setting of the book. I had so much fun looking at the pictures and remembering landmarks of Boston such as: The Rose Kennedy Maze, Fenway, Boston Commons, and the footbridge in the Boston Public Garden. Furthermore, I love the illustrators use of hidden symbolism throughout the book. Some examples of this that I saw were: in the scene where Jessica and Rescue are walking across the footbridge, this is representing them crossing into their new life. They are leaving their old life before the accident behind, and starting their new path, showing what they have overcome. Furthermore, when Jessica and Rescue are lying in the hospital bed after her second surgery, I learned that the stars above the bed were a depiction of the "Canis Major" constellation with Sirius (the dog star) shining the brightest (CBETHM, 2018). This use of symbolism gives the reader hope that Jessica is on her way to a better life. Lastly, another image that sparked interest with me was when Jessica was in the wheelchair at the hospital, with balloons attached to her chair. In this book, we never find out until reading the author's note, that Jessica lost her legs in the 2013 Boston Bombing. In this image with the balloons, I noticed that the balloons attached to Jessica's wheelchair are yellow and blue, the two colors that represented the "Boston Strong" movement. By the illustrator adding small details of symbolism throughout the book, it makes it engaging for readers.
Throughout the book, some common themes that I noticed were: being resilient, having perseverance and strength; dealing with change can be hard and scary; friendship is crucial; and understanding disabilities. Throughout the book, both Jessica and Rescue must deal with change. Rescue was training to be a Seeing Eye dog as it was the family business, however, must get used to the fact that he now is training to be a service dog (Kensky & Downes, 2018). Likewise, Jessica, loses both of her legs in a tragedy and must learn to navigate life differently. In both cases, the characters are resilient, persevere, and show strength as they overcome these obstacles and continue to have a positive outlook. At the beginning of the book, Jessica's whole "family was worried about her, and she didn't want to let anyone down", so she pushed through her rehab, showing her inner strength and willpower (Kensky & Downes, 2018). Both Rescue and Jessica were able to get through change and the uncertainty of it, by leaning on one another for support. Through their journeys, they were able to create a strong bond, comforting one another, and creating a lasting friendship. Towards the end of the book Jessica says to Rescue, "You changed my life, Rescue. I couldn't have done this without you" (Kensky & Downes, 2018). Lastly, understanding disabilities is a huge theme in the book. By reading this book, readers can understand some of the struggles that a person with a disability may face. By allowing the reader to jump into Jessica's life, this creates a space of acceptance, compassion, empathy and inclusion. Furthermore, this opens a great space to discuss the role of Rescue, the purpose of service dogs and how they aid people with disabilities.
The idea of own voice came up when reading this book as well. Since this is a true story about the authors, they identify as a member of the book. By the authors incorporating own voice, it makes the book more personal and realistic when you read their story. Having an "author's note" at the end of the book ties the book together, makes it more engaging, and again, makes the reading more realistic.
When thinking about this book in the classroom, I could focus on the big theme of being brave and resilient to overcome something. In class, I could discuss with students what it means to be brave, how Jessica and Rescue were brave in this book, and then allow students to share about a time they had to be brave when they were encountering change. Students would write a poem or short story about this time and share it with the class. This would connect the characters' experiences in the book and Jessica's experience in real life, to students lives.
Making Connections:
Another way that I would incorporate this book into the classroom is through vocabulary words. In the reading "Teaching Critical Literacy", one strategy it discusses is "Read-Pause-Bookmark" (McLaughlin & DeVoogd, 2004, pg. 42). This strategy consists of students reading a page, pausing periodically, and completing a bookmark. On their bookmarks, they should mark vocabulary words they find interesting/confusing, an image they like/want to discuss, or something they find interesting. I think this strategy would be beneficial for this book to focus on vocabulary words such as: service dog, prosthetic leg, amputee, application, rescued. Also, the illustrations of this book are so powerful, so discussing the illustrations and how they relate to the text would also be beneficial.
After spending time exploring the resources given to us, one of the sources I would definitely use in the classroom is, Scott Magoon's website. (Magoon, 2019). This website has tons of resources for teachers, students, discussions, personal connections, and extra sources. One source that I think is amazing and a must use is the "teachers guide" on the website. This guide has everything a teacher could need from discussion questions, to vocabulary connections, and classroom activities. So, this guide is a phenomenal resource for teachers wanting to use this book in the classroom. Furthermore, by allowing students to explore this website and the resources, I think it will build student engagement and interest. Students will be able to hear the real-life story of Rescue & Jessica, from both the authors perspective and the illustrators perspective of the event, causing students to be more critical when reading.
Useful Links:
Teacher Guide: https://www.dropbox.com/s/jtj11x3xt05n6rd/Rescue%26Jessica_Teachers_Guide_AWARD.PDF?dl=0
Authors & illustrator reading the book and discussing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=259&v=kGfebEYz4ng
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju1onrlkK4w
Illustrator discussing book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTzsb5e1fPY
Teacher Resources: https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=58340
Service dog organization where Rescue was trained: https://neads.org
Resources about the book/illustrator's website: http://scottmagoon.com/rescue-jessica
Teaching Resources: https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2018/04/02/dog-stars-symbols-in-rescue-jessica-a-life-changing-friendship-by-scott-magoon/
Interview with authors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fMGVoLXJlc
Learning about disabilities for kids: http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=286&id=1549
Sources:
CBETHM. (2018) Nerdy Book Club. Retrieved from
Jessica Kensky & Patrick Downes. Photo of Authors Jessica Kensky & Patrick Downes, by authors Virginia Prescott & La'Raven Taylor. Reprinted from GPB Radio News, 2019. Retrieved from https://www.gpbnews.org/post/boston-marathon-bombing-
Kensky, J. & Downes, P. (2018) Rescue &Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press
Magoon, S. (2019) Scott Magoon Words and Pictures. Retrieved from
McLaughlin, M., & DeVoogd, G.L. (2004). Critical Literacy Comprehension of Text. New York: Scholastic.
Scott Magoon. Photo of Illustrator Scott Magoon. Reprinted from TeachingBooks.net,
2019, Retrieved from https://www.teachingbooks.net/pronounce.cgi?aid=6738