J vs. K, Jerry Kraft and Kwame Alexander
Two talented men, well-known for their art work and written word, teamed up to write an adorable book about two friends in fifth grade. One is an author, “K”, and the other is an artist, “J”. The boys don’t get along at first, since each one resents the other’s talent, fearing that one would be considered more talented than the other. Then, instead of competing with each other in a contest that was never won by a fifth grader before, they, J and K, decide to team up to compete in the school competition to see if there is strength in numbers.
They discovered that there was more power in their combined effort and friendship. Working together, not against each other, they felt empowered and unstoppable. The story about the boys and how their relationship grows is delightful. It is light and easy to read. It embraces the themes of healthy competition, good sportsmanship, friendship, adjusting to and accepting differences with grace, knowing your own strong points and not resenting the strong points of others, and also the importance of learning about new ideas. J and K are great examples for other friends who might squabble on occasion but soon will learn that there is more about themselves that is the same than different.
The book very wisely teaches the reader about fellowship, how to get along with others, how to be polite, how a family and friends treat and respect each other, how important it is to have an open mind and to learn something every day, and it teaches the very important lesson of research. If you don’t know something, look it up and you will know it next time. The family unit and work ethic is also stressed, even when each idea is treated in a different way by different groups. All healthy ideas have merit.
When I was young, decades ago, and taught young children in special service schools, I tried hard to teach children how to respect each other, their individual skills and their hopes and dreams. A book like this would really have helped get the message across in a wonderfully, palatable way.