Malala's Magic Pencil

Malala's Magic Pencil

By Malala Yousafzai

Informational/Nonfiction Book Blog

Illustrated by Kerascoët

Published by  Little Brown Books for Young Readers (October 2017)
Text and Illustrations copyright by Salarzai Limited for Malala Yousafzai

48 pages

Genre: Nonfiction, Biography

As told in her own perspective, Malala Yousafzai depicts the many struggles and challenges she endured and conquered throughout her life in this empowering story. She relates her own experiences in a gentle, easy-to-understand way so that all children can know what life is like in other parts of the world. She uses her own inspiration, a magic pencil from a TV show she used to watch, as a way to relate the different obstacles she overcame with her own voice. Children and adults of all ages will be inspired by this empowering book and will gain an important glimpse into the lives of people from unique situations across the world. 

The illustrations in this book are created using a variety of different mediums. The backgrounds are primarily created using watercolor paint. This adds a smooth, dreamy feeling to the overall setting that allows the harrowing, important story to be conveyed. There are many additional details throughout the pages that are relevant to Malala's heritage and culture. These images are created using pens and chalk. The characters themselves are made with the same materials. 

Standard:

Social Studies

Grade: 6th

9 ) Critique major social and cultural changes in the United States since World War II.

I would use this book as an opener for a discussion on the different cultures that make up the United States. We would analyze how after certain changes, such as the social changes after 9-11 and the cultural views that were expressed as a result, often do not take into account the people in other countries. I know that this is a touchy topic in society as a whole today, so I believe that using an insider's perspective of how she felt being on the other side of these political and social issues, we could better understand the implications of actions and how people feel as a result. We could then do research into the citizens of other parts of the world and how their lives have changed since 9-11 or other catastrophes. I think it is very important for today's children to learn about this topic, but to also understand there are other people besides the United States being suppressed and hurt as a result.