Esperanza Rising

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. Scholastic, 2000.  262 pages. Publisher recommends for grades 6-8. ISBN: 9780439120425.

Pura Belpre Award, 2002.

Esperanza Rising is the story of a 13-year-old young woman who must leave the fairytale life she’s lived in Mexico and go to work in the farm lands of the San Joaquin Valley of California. The book gives a gentle but clear introduction to issues surrounding immigration in this country.

Esperanza’s father owns a large ranch in Mexico. She lives in a big house with her parents and her grandmother. The ranch foreman, Alfonso and his wife, Hortensia, the maid, live close by with their son Miguel. Esperanza and Miguel had been childhood playmates. Esperanza has beautiful clothes and beautiful dolls and beautiful gardens to enjoy. She felt like a princess. But when her father is killed and her uncles try to take over the ranch, she and her mother, along with Miguel and his parents, must escape to the United States.

Alfonso’s brother Juan arranges for the five immigrants to live and work on the same ranch where he and his family work. Two women and two girls live in a shack the size of a horse stall. Esperanza still thinks of herself as a princess. The harshness of this new life is hard to comprehend. Soon Esperanza must work sorting whatever crop is being picked at the time.

The story is set in 1930. A group of farm workers in the local area talk about striking for better living and working conditions. Esperanza can’t risk losing her job by striking. Nor can the other members of her new extended family. But there’s pressure to strike, and finally the strike comes to pass. It isn’t successful, and those who were striking are deported to Mexico, regardless of whether or not they are Mexican or US citizens.

Esperanza is aware of painful discrimination against Mexicans. One camp, built for the people from Oklahoma, will have a swimming pool. Mexicans will be able to swim in it on Saturday afternoons, immediately before it is cleaned on Sunday.

At the end of the book there is a fascinating Authors Note in which Pam Munoz Ryan discusses the parallels between her grandmother’s life and Esperanza’s life.

Esperanza means hope in Spanish, and despite the difficulties associated with being a farm worker, plus the heartbreak of losing one’s home and way of life, Esperanza Rising is a hopeful book.

Blog Review: Anita Silvey’s Children’s Book-A-Day Almanac

Our Constitution

Our Constitution by Donald A. Ritchie and JusticeLearning.org.  Oxford University Press, 2006.  256 pages.  Recommended for ages 12 and older.  ISBN: 9780195223859.

I once had a sociology professor who said that the United States is like a baby toy that wobbles but doesn’t fall down. This book gives me a tremendous amount of respect for the men who wrote the Constitution and the first 10 Amendments that comprise the Bill of Rights. They built for us a government with such strong checks and balances and such protection of rights that, although the country has wobbled many times, in 200+ years it has never fallen down

The book starts with chapters that introduce the Constitution such as “Why Was the Constitution Necessary” and “What Rights Does the Constitution Protect.” In this introduction one finds a discussion of two different ways in which the judicial branch interprets the Constitution. Some judges see it as a living document to be interpreted in light of the times.  Some judges look at it and try to determine what the framers meant in writing it. Another discussion makes clear why the framers thought protecting individual rights against the government was so important. In addition, there is an explanation of why slavery wasn’t abolished by the first seven Articles or the first 10 Amendments and a look at how that decision affected and continues to affect the country.

Following the introduction, there is a two-page spread for each Article and Clause or set of Clauses. On that spread, the original wording is presented along with text about the meaning.  Many spreads also include bits of history about the Article and key court cases involving that Article and Clause. Timelines for some Articles are found in separate two-page spreads.

After the Articles, the author turns to the Amendments. Here the author switches to a four-page spread. Just as in the Articles section the author use two pages to pair the original wording with what the wording means. The second two page spread contains a timeline for the Amendment. The timeline, among other things, includes key Supreme Court cases related to the Amendment as well as key acts of Congress intended to uphold the Amendment.

Throughout the book there is plenty of room for quotes regarding the Constitution, pictures pertaining to Articles and Amendments, and text boxes filled with history about the Articles and Amendments. Besides that, the prose is easily accessible.

This book works beautifully as a reference for the Constitution. It works equally well as a textbook on the Constitution. I learned many things that I had forgotten and, in a sad commentary on the public school system, many things I never before knew about the Constitution.

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson. Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s, 2013. 40 pages. Publisher recommends for ages 4-8.  ISBN: 9780061783746.

When I was young, South Africa lived under apartheid, a system that segregated whites and blacks. Living conditions for the blacks were horrendous. The White government responded to protest rallies with violence. And Nelson Mandela, a black man who was the face of resistance to apartheid, sat in jail encouraging hope, and continued protests. The rest of the world looked on and tried to figure out what they could do to end the situation in South Africa. In the United States, protesters encouraged investors to divest themselves of any stock in companies that did business in South Africa. The world looked to the hero, Nelson Mandela. Within the year after the Berlin wall came down, apartheid ended and Nelson Mandela was released from prison. Great change was indeed possible.

Kadir Nelson’s strikingly beautiful book about Nelson Mandela pictures him, above all, as a man of incredible strength. In each of the illustrations, Mandela is powerful. It appears there is no weakness in him, nor any doubt about the necessity of ending apartheid. The book follows Mandela from his boyhood home to law school to his political work in trying to end apartheid.  When the government issued an arrest warrant for him, he went underground and continued to organize protests against apartheid. He was caught and jailed for 27 years. Then apartheid ended and Mandela was freed. He became the first black president of South Africa. Mandela’s view is that in this new South Africa all races are welcomed.

The story is told in Kadir Nelson’s strong illustrations and in short sections of prose that read almost like poetry. In the back of the book is a two-page spread detailing Nelson Mandela’s biography.

To this day, Nelson Mandela is, in my mind, a symbol of refusal to accept oppression. Kadir Nelson’s book will introduce new generations to Nelson Mandela the man and Nelson Mandela the symbol.

Other Blog Reviews: Richie’s Picks; Waking Brain Cells; Rhapsody in Books Weblog; Kid Lit Frenzy; Wrapped in Foil; Creative Madness Mama

George Washington’s Birthday: A Mostly True Tale

George Washington’s Birthday: A Mostly True Tale.  Written by Margaret McNamara.  Illustrated by Barry Blitt.  Schwartz & Wade Books, 2012. 40 pages. Recommended for ages 4-8.  ISBN: 978-0-375-84499-7.

I like to have strong feelings about a book, either positive or negative, when I review that book. George Washington’s Birthday has been on my shelf for several months. I read it when I first received it and thought “meh.” Today I set out to write a review of the book. I’m still having the “meh” reaction.

The book is about George Washington’s seventh birthday. No one in his family seems to know or care that it’s his birthday. That’s the plot for “Sixteen Candles,” the 1984 John Hughes film.   It doesn’t quite fit with a biography of the child who became one of the most skilled leaders in US history.

Perhaps Margaret McNamara wanted kids to be able to see themselves in Washington, and so she played up Washington’s fear that his birthday had been forgotten, assuming this is a near-universal fear among children.  First, there’s no indication that Washington actually thought his family would forget his birthday. Second, the logical extension of McNamara’s approach is that if you are afraid your family has forgotten your birthday you too could grow up to be president of the United States. The premise doesn’t hold.

Many of the pages have glimpses of Washington’s future life as well as future myths about Washington’s childhood. Margaret McNamara cleverly uses small boxes to separate fact from myth.  Of course there’s the myth of Washington chopping down a cherry tree. There’s also the myth of Washington throwing a rock across the Rappahannock River. Both of these myths are accompanied by a small “myth” box identifying the stories as untrue. The seven-year-old boy is interested in the weather outside, and a small box labeled “fact” explains that Washington was always interested in the weather.

George Washington was a powerful figure in US history. He was a strong and charismatic general, a skilled politician, and the first president of the United States. In this book he is a cute little boy who is afraid everyone has forgotten his birthday.  I’d be more excited about the book if by reading it I got a sense of Washington’s greatness.

The wonderfully whimsical illustrations are the only part of the book that moved me from “meh” to “wow.” The illustrations are humorous. They add a sweetness to the book and they bring the little boy to life. It’s worth reading the book just to see the illustrations.

Other blog reviews:  The Picture Book Review; Children’s Literature Crossroads;

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909.  Written by Michelle Markel.  Illustrated by Melissa Sweet.  Balzar and Bray, 2013.  32 pages.  Publisher recommends for ages 4 to 8.  ISBN: 9780061804427.

Clara Lemlich and her family arrived in this country in the early part of the 20th century. She came with a strong sense of right and wrong. Once here, she found that she’d need to go to work making women’s clothing in order to earn money to support her family.  However, the conditions in the garment industry factories were poor. Clara knew it was wrong to treat people as the women in the garment industry were being treated. She actively encouraged her friends to strike. It soon became clear, however, that a strike here and strike there wasn’t going to make the garment industry take notice. It also became clear that the men involved in the garment industry weren’t going to call for a massive strike, so Clara called for one. It was the largest strike of female workers in United States history.  By the time it was over many of the company owners had agreed to allow female workers to unionize, and had given into union demands for better working conditions.

This is a wonderful story about the power of collective action. It’s also a great story about the power of an individual, in this case Clara, to rally her fellow workers to take collective action. In this way, it’s about the politics of working in this country in the early 20th century. It’s also about taking nonviolent action to do what one thinks is right even if that action isn’t legal. Clara was arrested multiple times, and I think it must have been because the action she was taking wasn’t legal. By 1935 the National Labor Relations Act made it illegal to restrict collective bargaining rights in the private sector, but in 1909 there may have been laws against striking and marching as Clara and the other women were doing.

The illustrations are a beautiful addition to the story. They include elements of sewing in clever ways. There is a striking illustration of a factory floor, showing it crammed full of people and sewing machines.

The back of the book contains more information about garment industry, and also a nice bibliography.

Clara is a great inspiration to all kids who see injustice around them and want to rectify it.

Blog Reviews:

Anita Silvey’s Children’s Book-A-Day Almanac

Check out Nonfiction Monday 4/22/2013 at A Mom’s Spare Time.

Sophia’s War

Sophia’s War by Avi.  Beach Lane Books, 2012.  Publisher recommends for grades 3-7.  336 pages.  ISBN: 9781442414426.

I’d like to write historical fiction about specific events, such as Apollo 13, but I’ve never understood how to fictionalize these events. The closest I’ve gotten is Steve Sheinkin’s nonfiction with a strong narrative line. In this book, Avi follows the same narrative line that Sheinkin follows in The Notorious Benedict Arnold. However, Avi finds two places where the historical record is apparently not clear about why things happened as they did.  Avi inserts his character, Sophia, into both places in an entirely believable way.

Since I have just mentioned The Notorious Benedict Arnold let me say that it can be paired very nicely with Sophia’s War. There is some discrepancy between the two on the historical details, but the details are small and don’t keep the books from going well together.

Sophia and her parents live on the island of Manhattan which, as the story begins in 1776, is occupied by British forces.  Sophia and her parents are Patriots who never talk in public about being Patriots. Sophia’s brother has gone off to fight with the Patriots.  Sophia and her parents are forced to take British officers into their home. The first officer who lives with them is John Andre. The 12-year-old Sophia develops a crush on Andre. The 12-year-old Sophia also finds it necessary to enter two of the many prisons in New York. The conditions are horrific. In 1780 Sophia is 15 and begins a job which puts her in a perfect position to try to thwart the plan John Andre and Benedict Arnold have developed, a plan for Arnold to hand over West Point to the British.

Towards the end of the book, Sophia has grave misgivings about stopping John Andre when it becomes clear that stopping him will mean his death. I find this a bit unbelievable. Sophia cares so deeply about American independence that she has put herself through a physically grueling journey to ensure that the plot against the Patriots is stopped.  Would she really have misgivings because her actions might lead to Andre’s death?

The story is compelling, the second half even more so than the first half.

I suspect the details of the prisons in New York are too grim for third, fourth and fifth graders. Sophia’s War works beautifully in describing the conditions of the time, in creating a strong protagonist, and in telling the story of John Andre and Benedict Arnold.

Blog reviews I Like Big Books; Ms. Yingling Reads;  

I Am Harriet Tubman

I Am #6: Harriet Tubman. Written by Grace Norwich.  Cover illustration by Mark Fredrickson.  Interior illustrations by Ute Simon.  Scholastic Inc., 2013.  Publisher recommends for ages 8 and older.  127 pages.  ISBN: 978054548367. 

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland in 1821. She escaped to freedom in her late 20s and from then on worked tirelessly to end slavery. She was a conductor on the Underground Railroad, returning over and over again to the south to guide more than 70 slaves to freedom. When slavery ended, she worked for the rights of blacks in the United States, and also for the rights of women.

This book is an excellent introduction to Harriet Tubman. It covers her entire life and does so at a pace fast enough to keep the reader interested. The beginning of the book contains some history of Harriet Tubman’s family, and thus some history of slavery.  The details of her many trips on the Underground Railroad increase the fascinating nature of the book.

The pencil illustrations break up the text and add additional information. Boxes contain facts related to Harriet Tubman and freedom and slavery are included. The boxes, though, aren’t so long that they take the reader’s focus away from the text of the book.

The cover illustration is in color and shows a fearless woman reaching out a beckoning hand.

After reading I Am Harriet Tubman, I’d like to know more about this courageous and powerful woman.  Several books are listed as possibilities for further reading.  The end papers also include a map of the Underground Railroad, a list of 10 things one should know about Harriet Tubman, followed by a list of 10 more interesting facts, a glossary and index.

The quality of the binding isn’t great. I suspect it will fall apart after three or four readings in a school library. This isn’t a reason not to buy the book, but it may be a reason to buy multiple copies.

Although the title of the book implies the book is written in first person, it’s actually written in third person, with a three page first person spread in the very beginning.

Harriet Tubman’s primary work wasn’t as a politician, but through her civil disobedience she helped to bring about political change.