Children's Literature - Brenda Seabrooke's Teaching Guides

Brenda Seabrooke's Teaching Guides

THE BRIDGES OF SUMMER

NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies

“Fine character development lends credibility to this rich and compelling story of clashing cultures and human understanding.” ---School Library Journal

“Difficult as it is for Zarah to understand this world that is ‘caught between the past and present,’ eventually the intensity of Quanamina’s love for her island home her dignity, and stoicism, and her stories about Zarah’s proud heritage take their hold on her granddaughter.” ---Horn Book Magazine

“The writing intensifies as the focus on the main characters sharpens toward a concentrated and memorable ending.” ---Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

ISBN:0-525-65094-6
Grades 5 up $3.99, Puffin
Cover illustration copyright by Ted Lewin, 1992

THE ORIGIN OF THE BOOK
As I was trying to write Benicia’s story, the character of Zarah came to me one day in my backyard and insisted that I tell her story. I think she is based on several of my daughter’s friends but Zarah would hate that. She thinks she is her own unique creation, one of a kind! That April morning Quanamina said, “Who that ouchander? Speak up. I got this gun point at you gullet.” One does not ignore such a voice.I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down their conversation. It became chapter two in the book.Then I wrote chapter one to get Zarah to the island and kept going.

Themes and discussion topics:

Discovering roots - how you may be alike and different from your ancestors at the same time.
Learning that your fears may be groundless.
Having to make decisions in a hurry even though they may be unpopular.
Finding your own identity.

Suggested Activities:

SOCIAL STUDIES

Make a chart of census figures for islands such as Daufauskie or Johns, SC to show the changes in population from slavery to the present.
Send for real estate brochures for coastal islands. Ask for brochures (when available) from previous years to compare prices. Will these prices continue to rise? Remain stable? Should Zarah have sold Domingo?
List the references to folklore and superstition in the book. Compile a list of beliefs (such as not walking under ladders, etc.) from class members and compare them.
The last shipload of slaves in the United States landed on Jekyll Island, GA in 1858 on the Wanderer. When were the last slaves brought to SC? When were the first slaves brought to the United States?To South Carolina? Discuss the Triangle Trade.

LANGUAGE ARTS

If you were to draw the shape of this book’s structure, what form would it take, circle, spiral, or other and why?
Why are the first and last sentences the same? Do they mean the same thing and why?
Make a list of the places where snakes are mentioned. What does the snake represent in the story? How does this change?
Compare and contrast scenes which are thematically connected, for example the scenes in which Zarah embarrasses her grandmother.

QUOTES TO QUESTION

She could make the truth do aerobics when she wanted to...(p.5)
“Where you been, child, you don’t know greens and sweet potatoes and cornbread?” (p.15)
“Some mules is mighty stubborn.” (p.35)
“What kind of horse is that?” (p.40)
She smiled to herself when she saw the seashells carved over the door. (p.55)
“She’ll put up with the racket if that’s what’s done.” (p.59)
“Mo’ biscuits, miss?” she said in a Butterfly McQueen voice.” (p.72)
“You don’t have to explain why I couldn’t come to your white-bread party.” (p.84)
It was like rabbit’s feet for the dead. (p.95)
“It has to go, Loomis. It’s time for it to go. That’s its job, to go when it’s time to.” (p.142)

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