News

"That's a hard wurd. I don't know what that means." 

Six-year-old Philip replies as he moves to inspect a rock that caught his eye. 

I had asked if he enjoys "Journalism."

Later, we inspect the pages of Flotsam, a delightful book by David Wiesner. 

I had asked Philip if he could figure out what was happening by looking at the pictures. "There are no words," I caution. 

Intrigued, he hurried to open the book. Nothing else matters. Challenge accepted.

Here are some of the pictures Philip scanned.

As we volley questions, his desire to uncover what had been uncovered by the boy on the beach captivates Philip. He looks for clues. He points out details. He considers possibilities and tosses them aside as evidence disproves them. He compares, contrasts, and connects. And when, like a wave, the story washes over his mind, he reports it to me with gleeful satisfaction. "Excellent journalism!" I praise as our palms slap together in high-five-fashion. His eyes flash and his mouth opens in silent exclamation. We engage in a six-year-old's  conversation about journalism and journalists. Defined for the inexperienced, such interactions are marked by brevity, clarity, simplicity, fact, and often a form of illustration.  Information consumed, he exits. As Philip throws open the door, I hear him announce to his siblings and cousins, who are piled around squirt guns and an agitated can of soda, "Guys, I'm a jornoliss!" Polite mumbles of  "cool," "huh?" and "Oh"s are punctuated by his fourteen-year-old brother's clever broadcast, "That's news!"

Credit: All Photos came from Flotsam, by David Wiesner