Marienthe's Story: Painted Words, Spoken Memories (1998) is an intensely emotional story disguised by a clever book cover. The large size of the book (9" x 11"), the soft and colorful illustrations, and the simple text are intended for children kindergarten through grade 5. However, as I worked on a lesson for this story, I had to admit it may not have adhered to the new Teachers Pay Teachers Resource Review Guidelines. This story isn't only about a young immigrant who begins school in America, it also includes memories of famine, death, and war. In 2021, such a story needs to be shared with an enlightened sense of caution and sensitivity.
That said, this is a relevant story for young children. I especially liked Aliki's description of little Marienthe's perception of English in Painted Words. Language learning requires a listener perceive individual speech sounds, identify them, segment them within words, and segment words within sentences. At first, Marienthe cannot perceive English speech sounds; "They sounded like sputters and coughs and whispering wind." We can infer that sputters might be sounds such as /p/ and /b/, perhaps also /ch/. Coughs may be the velar sounds /k/ and /g/. Whispering wind may be the voiceless fricatives /s/, /f/, and /sh/. That "Misapeechi" gradually became "Mr. Petri" is an example of how unfamiliar English sounded to the young protagonist.
Amy Wienberger has Sound Blocks-Auditory Processing. Foxy Moxy Learning has Auditory Processing Drills. Spellbook Literacy has Sound Awareness Overview.
This book is for parents and teachers who don't wish to completely shield their young ones from life's harsher realities. Perhaps it would be best to warn children prior to reading Marienthe's Story that it includes her paintings of a sibling as an angel and her recollection of war. Aliki's two pictures of war and death are, thankfully, black and white illustrations. The important message of this story is of one immigrant's experience. That lesson is worth the emotional work within its 64 pages.
