TEACHERS GUIDE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
During the Great
Depression, a 10-year-old homeless boy sets out in search of a man he believes
to be his father.
Bud Caldwell's mother
died when he was six years old, leaving him with nothing but a cardboard
suitcase filled with memories and a possible hint of who his father may be.
Now, ten years old and on the run, Bud lives among the homeless in Flint,
Michigan, until he decides to walk to Grand Rapids in search of his father.
Helped by a few kind people along the way, Bud eventually locates Herman E.
Calloway, a famous musician who denies Bud's claim that he is his father.
Finally, the contents of Bud's suitcase provide the clues necessary to prove
that Calloway is indeed related to Bud, but not in the way that Bud expects.
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
Born in Flint,
Michigan, Christopher Paul Curtis spent his first 13 years after high school on
the assembly line of Flint's historic Fisher Body Plant #1. His job entailed
hanging doors, and it left him with an aversion to getting into and out of
large automobiles-particularly big Buicks.
Curtis's writing-and
his dedication to it-has been greatly influenced by his family members,
particularly his wife, Kaysandra. With grandfathers like Earl "Lefty"
Lewis, a Negro Baseball League pitcher, and 1930s bandleader Herman E. Curtis,
Sr., of "Herman Curtis and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression,"
it is easy to see why Christopher Paul Curtis was destined to become an
entertainer.
TEACHING IDEAS
In
the Classroom
Bud, Not Buddy, set
during the Great Depression, offers students the opportunity to think about the
hardships that the American people experienced during this time in history. Through the homeless main character,
students are asked to explore the themes of family, survival, and hope. They
are also challenged to think about how racism further threatened the lives of
African Americans during this period. Though the living conditions in
the novel seem bleak, the main character never loses his sense of humor and
offers young readers a survival story with a happy ending. The novel is an
ideal choice for read-aloud or a class novel study. In addition, this guide
offers activities for using the novel to connect language arts, social studies,
science, art, and music.
Pre-Reading
Activity
Ask students to
research the causes of the Great Depression. How did it affect families of all
socioeconomic levels? Tell them that Bud, the main character in the novel, is
homeless and goes to a mission for a hot meal. Find out other types of
organizations that helped people during the Great Depression. Then have
students find out what organizations in their city or town provide food and
shelter for the homeless today.
Thematic Connections
Family
and Relationships
Ask the class to
discuss Bud's relationship with his mother. What are some of his special
memories of her? Why did his mother never tell him about his grandfather? Why
do you think Bud's mother left home? Changed her last name? If Bud's mother was
so unhappy, why did she keep the flyers about her dad's band?
Why is Bud so
convinced that Herman Calloway is his father? Discuss whether Bud is
disappointed to learn that Calloway is not his father but his grandfather. What
type of relationship do you think Bud will have with his grandfather? How is
Calloway's Band like a family? What is Miss Thomas's role in Bud's new family?
Survival
Bud has been without
a family since age six. What type of survival skills does Bud learn at the
Home? Make a list of "Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner
Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself." How does Bud use these rules
to survive difficult situations? Have the class discuss whether Bud will
continue using these rules now that he has found a family.
Hope
Ask the class to
discuss how the flyers in Bud's suitcase give him hope. Bud's mother once told
him, "When one door closes, don't worry, because another door opens."
(p. 43) How does this statement give Bud the hope he needs to continue his search
for his father? Discuss the moments in the story when a door closes for Bud. At
what point does the door open? Cite evidence in the novel that Herman Calloway
had hope that his daughter might return.
Racism
Engage the class in a
discussion about the different types of racism. Bud encounters racism
throughout his journey. Ask students to explain Mrs. Amos's statement: "I
do not have time to put up with the foolishness of those members of our race
who do not want to be uplifted." (p. 15) How does this statement indicate
that Mrs. Amos feels superior to Bud and other members of her race? Why does
she think that Bud does not want to be uplifted?
Bud meets many
homeless people at Hooverville. What evidence is there that racism prevails
among them? How does racism affect Herman E. Calloway's band? Eddie tells Bud,
"Mr. C. has always got a white fella in the band, for practical
reasons." (p. 205) Discuss what the "practical reasons" might
be. How does this reflect the times? Would Mr. Calloway's reasons be valid
today?
Interdisciplinary Connections
Language
Arts
Bud has special
memories of his mother's reading to him. He remembers the little lessons that
he learned from the fables that she read. Have students select one of "Bud
Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar
Out of Yourself" and write a fable, using the rule as the lesson learned.
Explain to students
that a euphemism is a word used to soften the meaning of a word that may
suggest something unpleasant. For example, Bud says, "I don't know why
grown folks can't say someone is dead, they think it's a lot easier to say
gone." (p.178) Ask students to brainstorm other euphemisms for dead.
Ask students to
explain the metaphor, "The idea that had started as a teeny-weeny seed in
a suitcase was now a mighty maple." (p.146) What is the "seed"?
The "mighty maple"? Ask students to find other examples of figurative
language in the novel.
Social
Studies
John Dillinger,
Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, and J. Edgar Hoover are among the notorious
figures mentioned in the book. Send students to the library media center to
research these people and to find out when the FBI was formed. What is its
primary purpose? Who is the head of the FBI today? What names are currently on
the FBI's most wanted list?
Policemen inspect
Lefty Lewis's car because they are searching for labor organizers who are
sneaking to Grand Rapids from Detroit. Ask students to find out about the
history of labor unions and the existence of unions today. Then have the class
debate the pros and cons of labor unions.
Science
Lefty Lewis sends
Herman Calloway a telegram telling him about Bud. Have students construct an
illustrated timeline that shows the development of communication from the
invention of the telegraph to today's new technologies. A good choice to
introduce students to the earlier time of the pony express is the picture book
The Sweetwater Run by Andrew Glass.
Art
It is obvious at the
end of the novel that Bud is being groomed as a band member. Design a flyer for
Bud's opening night with Calloway's Band. Encourage students to give the band a
new name in honor of Bud.
Music
Entertainment played
a major role during the Great Depression. One of Bud's flyers describes
Calloway's Band as "Masters of the New Jazz." Ask students to find
out who the major jazz artists were during the Great Depression. Why was jazz
so important during this time period? Note that the author's grandfather was
also a big band leader.
Teaching ideas
prepared by Pat Scales, director of library services, the South Carolina
Governor's School for Arts and Humanities, Greenville, South Carolina.
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary/Use
of Language
Ask students to find
unfamiliar words and try to define them from the context of the story. Such
words may include: urchins (p.12), ingratitude (p.14), vermin (p.15),
matrimonial (p. 56), devoured (p. 91), ventriloquists (p.101), sully (p.141),
embouchure (p.194), and prodigy (p.196).
AWARDS
Winner of the 2000
John Newbery Medal
Winner of the 2000
Coretta Scott King Award
REVIEWS
"Curtis has
given a fresh, new look to a traditional orphan-finds-a-home story that would
be a crackerjack read-aloud."
--Starred, School
Library Journal
"Bud's
journey...will keep readers engrossed from first page to last." --Starred,
Publishers Weekly
"[T]he rich
blend of tall tale, slapstick, sorrow, and sweetness has the wry, teasing
warmth of family folklore." --Booklist
FURTHER READING
The Face on the Milk
Carton by Caroline B. Cooney[0-440-22065-3]
Gib Rides Home by
Zilpha K. Snyder[0-440-41257-9]
A Letter to Mrs.
Roosevelt by C. Coco De Young[0-440-41529-2]
Monkey Island by
Paula Fox[0-440-40770-2]
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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