A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE

​You may know the fable of the blind folk who were shown an elephant. They surrounded the animal, each touching a different part. Coming away with very different perceptions, they argued ceaselessly. The individual who held the trunk insisted the elephant resembled a thick snake. The one who touched the leg asserted the elephant was like a tree trunk. Other voices proclaimed the elephant was shaped like a spear (trunk), a wall (side), a large leaf (ear), or a rope (tail). Without a broader perspective, they could not integrate the conflicting information.
 
In Social-Emotional Learning, Social Awareness includes the ability to see things from another’s perspective. This capacity requires flexible thinking and provides a foundation for empathy. Perspective-taking ability develops in stages, through childhood and adolescence.
 
Very young children have little ability to reflect on their own thoughts and feelings, much less recognize and understand someone else’s.  Around ages 5-7, children understand that individual perspectives differ when each person received different information. However, they have difficulty grasping that diverse perspectives can arise from identical input. The picture book DUCK! RABBIT! challenges this limitation. The simple, concrete illustration of the “duck/rabbit” effectively shows not only that different conclusions can be drawn from the same event, but also that both can be right.

​Around ages 7-12, as children’s abstract thinking ability grows, their perspective-taking ability expands accordingly. They gain the capacity to “step into another person’s shoes.” They are increasingly able to think about their own thoughts and feelings, to view their own thoughts and feelings from another person’s perspective, and to realize that each perspective can be valid. XO, EXOPLANET is a picture book that helps support this growth.

In this story, the planets of our solar system notice another planet, circling a faraway star. They establish communication through letters. But Jupiter’s insistence on calling the distant neighbor “Exoplanet” causes friendship to dissolve into dismay, then conflict, then an absolute rift. The planets of our system insist their new acquaintance is the exoplanet, because it is not circling our sun. The other counters, “I am looking around MY sun. I don’t see you. So YOU are the exoplanets.”  Each believes and vehemently asserts their position to be the only correct view. Emotions flare: to be called a planet is a point of pride, to be called an exoplanet is an insult.
 
Eventually, a passing comet helps the planets of our solar system expand their perspective-taking ability. The comet asks, “Is Earth big or small?” Turns out Mercury perceives Earth as huge, while to Jupiter, Earth is tiny. The comet wonders, “Is Mars hot or cold?” To Uranus, Mars is hot, but to Venus, Mars is “downright chilly.” “Who’s right?” the comet presses. Turns out, “They’re all right. It depends on how you look at things.”
 
With this insight, the planets of our system realize that “exoplanet” is a matter of perspective, not an emotionally charged term. With a heartfelt apology to their distant neighbor, which is most graciously accepted, correspondence – and friendship – are renewed.
 
Children will relate to the passionate argument between the respective planets, as it is phrased in playground-taunting terms, such as,
             “Am not.”
             “Are too.”
             “Am not.”
and,
            “Period. Period. Period. No erasies.”
 
Factual tidbits are woven into the text (e.g., about Jupiter’s size and Mars’ ice cap). The artwork vividly depicts each planet’s individual personality.
 
The emotional ride is particularly fun, taking the reader from the frisson of excitement at discovering a new friend, through the flaming tempers of self-righteousness, to the warm glow of reunion, with everyone enjoying and appreciating each other. The planets’ use of XO as a sign-off for their letters is especially satisfying, juxtaposing the “outsider” connotation of the prefix “exo“ with the affectionate symbols of hugs and kisses.
 
I expect that many will XO both of these perspective-taking books.