Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson - Bluebonnet Nominee for 2021

There is so much potential for discussion with this book! (Which is why I think it would make a great read-aloud!) It's hard to know where to start --- but here are some areas that might spark conversation.

Our protagonist, Ryan, is in 4th grade though by the end of the book, she will be a rising 5th grader. I think the book would appeal more to a 3rd-4th audience. Watson is very honest in portraying Ryan - her positive moments and her not so positive ones.. She has a brother, Ray, and sometimes they get along - and sometimes they don't. Sometimes they prank each other. Are pranks good or bad?

Ryan and Ray were give specific names by their parents. And they are expected to grow into their names and live up to the meaning of their names. Does your name have a special meaning? 

Ryan's dad lost his job as a mailman when the local post office closed. He has finally gotten a new job - but it doesn't pay as much as his old job. And he has to work nights. When the story opens, Ryan's family is renting a house that the owners have decided to sell. This is where Ryan has always lived - so she is upset about moving. She won't have to change schools - but the new house they are renting is smaller. Have you ever had to move unexpectedly?

Ryan has two best friends - Kiki and Amanda. Kiki still lives close but Amanda has moved to a new neighborhood, has a huge house with a pool, and goes to a different school. But the friends still remain close. When Ryan is invited to Amanda's house for a birthday party, she is treated meanly by one of Amanda's new friends. And her response is not great. But she learns from it.

Extended family plays a role in the book also. Easter means Ryan's grandmother coming over to straighten her hair, going to church, and having the whole family over for Easter dinner in their new-to-them, smaller house. 

The title comes from a time when Ryan and her friends don't get to do something they had been planning on doing for a long time - because it was raining. But they decide not to let the rain get them down or be disappointed so they make their own sunshine.

I was expecting Ryan's mom to announce a new baby was on the way at some point because there were a couple of times in the book when her mom was really tired and took naps but that's because I'm an adult reader -- I think most kids reading the book will be surprised - like Ryan - that there is a new baby sister on the way. Ryan's initial response is dismay (I think Ryan is not fond of sudden change...) but then she once again looks on the sunny side of the news.

And there's a talent show! But Ryan doesn't really think she has a talent besides cooking. And she just can't make cooking work as an act in the talent show. But she surprises herself. I really liked the thread of the talent show. 

So - like I said -- there is a LOT to discuss with this book! When I first finished it, I thought, "That was OK." But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much there is to discuss and think about in this short book. I'm glad it is a Bluebonnet nominee for next year! I think that will help ensure that it is more widely read.