Tell Me a Tattoo
Story,
by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler, features a young boy who learns
about his father’s life through the stories behind each of his father’s
tattoos.
The We Need Diverse Books campaign has raised awareness about the importance of
kids seeing themselves, and their families, in books. While we may first think about racial,
ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity, there are other types of diversity
too. Many students in your class may
have parents who have tattoos, and this book celebrates those parents in a
beautiful way.
Tell Me a Tattoo
Story
makes an excellent writing prompt for your classroom. After you read the book aloud, here are a few
ways to use this picture book with your students:
1.
Ask
each student to draw a tattoo. It can be
simple—like a cat, or a single word—or more complicated. On a separate piece of paper, ask students to
write down the story behind their tattoos.
Whose tattoo is it? And why did
the person decide to get that tattoo?
Perhaps it is the story of how a lonely man found a cat and adopted it,
and then got a tattoo to show his love for his pet. Or perhaps it is the story of a little girl
who desperately wanted a pet cat but could never have one due to allergies…so
she got a cat tattoo when she grew up.
2.
After
each student completes his or her own tattoo story, collect the tattoo
drawings, shuffle them, and give each student a new drawing to think about. Ask
students to make up stories behind the unfamiliar tattoos that they have
received. When all students are
finished, you may wish to hold up a picture of a tattoo and have both students
who wrote about that tattoo (the original artist and the second recipient)
share their stories, then discuss similarities and differences.
3.
The
father’s tattoos in this book are his way of telling his life story. What are other creative ways that a parent
could tell his or her life story to a son or daughter? Make a list individually or as a class.
4.
Ask
each student to think of an important event in his or her own life. What tattoo would be appropriate to represent
that event?
5.
Would
your students want to get a tattoo if their parents permitted it? Why or why not?
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