Book guide: A job for Nora Henriksson
Is it possible to do an internship with a person who is homeless?
Everyone in the class must be accompanied by an adult to work. Nora Henriksson knows exactly which job she wants to be part of. But no one else seems to think it's a good idea.
Questions about the book
1. Nora gets angry when no one thinks her idea is good. Why don't they think it's good, do you think?
2. John doesn't think Nora should work with him. Have you wanted to do something with a person who doesn't want the same thing? What happens then? How did it feel?
3. Nora gets so angry that she gets hot. How do you feel when you are really angry? What do you usually do when you feel angry? What would happen if we never got angry?
4. Instead of Nora being allowed to be with John and sell newspapers, he comes to visit. If you were visited by John - what would you like to ask him?
5. Nora's mother says that they have bought the Homeless newspaper. Nora says they don't have it. Who do you think is right? Why do they say different, do you think?
6. Nora thinks about where she would like to try working one day. Where would you like to try working? Why do you want to work there?
7. What different jobs where you get to be outdoors can you think of?
8. Timmy will be at his old preschool. What do you think is fun about working at a preschool? What do you think is hard?
9. Simon F should be in a clothing store. What do you think is fun about working in a clothing store? What do you think is hard?
10. Nora eats a sandwich for breakfast. Her siblings eat cereal. What do you eat? Why is it important to eat breakfast?
About different professions
Many children obviously don't know what they want to do when they grow up. But what leads us to our career choices has a lot to do with our social heritage. Children of doctors, for example, are overrepresented in the medical field. The social heritage is linked to factors such as socio-economic status and other cultural factors. The school can be part of breaking patterns and offering more opportunities to all students. Part of opening up opportunities is to make more professions visible than those that are usually allowed to shape a professional life. Another part is to start from desire and interest, and see which professions give room for what the person is passionate about. As in the book about Nora Henriksson, where her professional interest is based on the fact that she knows she wants to be outdoors.
About family
Family is our first belonging. Having it positively and naturally reflected is therefore extremely important for our self-esteem and self-image. Allowing all family forms to be represented on your bookshelf at school is a way to naturally equate the family forms we have around us in society today. In A job for Nora Henriksson, Nora lives with her mothers and her little sibling. By portraying Nora's family form in an obvious way, we give a reflection to the children who have such a family. Because the family form is not the focus of the story, the conditions are also created for an expanded and more inclusive family norm.
