Hello Ocean by Pam Munoz Ryan - Latina Author of Choice

Bibliography:

Ryan, Pam Munoz. 2001. HELLO OCEAN. Ill. by Mark Astrella.  Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing. ISBN 0-88106-987-6.

Plot Summary:

This book is a lovely account of a girls love for the ocean.  An unnamed girl goes to the beach for the day and as she states it, "I'm here, with the five of me again."  She talks about how she loves the pull and push of the waves, the squishy ground and how she loves the way the ocean sounds, smells and looks.  She describes the ocean based on her five senses.  Based on the illustrations she is there with her Mom, Dad, brother and sister.  Her father fishes while the children play in tide pools, swim and Mom watches from the beach towels that are laid out on the sand.

Critical Analysis:

For someone like myself who loves the ocean as much as the girl in this book, I loved the way the words were written, the disciption of the ocean as well as the beautiful, bright illustrations.  She speaks about every aspect of the ocean in a way that shows her love for it and I think anyone who loves the ocean as much as she and I do will appreciate this book.  For someone who has never been to the ocean before this truly shows how beautiful it is through the words and illustrations.    

Even though the author is Latina there are no cultural markers depicting the family is of Mexican heritage.  Through the words she speaks only of the ocean and what she loves about it.  Through the illustrations the children have darker skin and brown hair but they are dressed like any other child, in shorts, t-shirts, hats and bathing suits.  They are very neutral looking children that anyone could identify with.  The people depicted in the background at the beach are equally neutral and of no particular nationality. 

Because this book is called Hello Ocean I don't think there is any reason to depict the people as one nationality or another, the book is about the Ocean and that is where the focus is.  I imagined if I'd see the story any differently if it was a Native American, African American or Caucasian looking family at the beach and I wouldn't think twice about it.  I'd still be looking at the beautiful pictures of the beach, water, seagulls and waves and not the color of the skin and hair of the children playing in it. 

Review Awards and Excerpts:

This picture book, a splendid celebration of the ocean, is a stunning combination of scientific fact, poetry, and artistic talent. Photographic clarity, brilliant colors, and detail born of familiarity with the ocean characterize Astrella's acrylic paintings, which build on the rhythms and energy of Ryan's expressive rhymes. - Booklist

Connections:

• I would read this story to children and have then think about what location they love to visit whether it be the mountains, lakes, rivers or beach and I'd have them depict their experience through art.  I'd have the children present their pictures and tell a story of how they visited that location or maybe they haven't been yet but want to so they will explain why they want to visit that specific place.

Dizzy In Your Eyes: Poems About Love by Pat Mora - Poetry with Latino Focus

Bibliography:

Mora, Pat. 2010. DIZZY IN YOUR EYES: POEMS ABOUT LOVE. New York: Random House Children's Books. ISBN 978-0-375-84375-4.

Plot Summary:

Dizzy In Your Eyes is a collection of poems that are written from a teenagers perspective.  There are poems that speak of flirting, the latest crush, being confronted with having sex for the first time and a wide array of other topics a typical teenager has to encounter.  The feelings these poems depict are incredibly real and accurate, it's incredible they were written by an adult and not a teenager. 

Critical Analysis:

The majority of the poems in Dizzy In Your Eyes are written in English but there are a sprinkling of poems written in Spanish or that have Spanish words within the predominantly English poem.   Unfortunately these Spanish poems do not have a direct translation so for those who do not know Spanish we are not going to know what these poems are about or we will have a difficult time understanding them. 

There was one poem in particular that I identified with and that was the poem Hands. It spoke of a young girl who has a crush on her older brothers friend. She loves watching his hands as he plays basketball but of course her brothers friend doesn't pay any attention to her. I love the last line, "No one has ever felt this. Ever." That is such a typical teenager, the feeling that everything they are experiencing no one has ever experienced before, very dramatic. For anyone, like myself, who has an older brother can identify with this poem. I immediately thought of my brothers best friend Matt and how I just adored him but of course he had no idea I even existed.

I love the incorporation of Spanish poems within this book but because I do not speak Spanish I can't read them and therefore I can't appreciate what the author is saying. I did not find any poems that spoke specifically of culture markers. The poems were directed at discussing teenage feelings so there were not any descriptive words about skin tone, hair styles, or anything specifically related to culture. There could be something represented within the Spanish poems but I do not know. I would have like to be able to understand what the Spanish poems were about so I would have appreciated a translation of some sort even if the poem was not able to stick to the style of poetry due to the translation. Overall I loved the book, it was like venturing down memory late back to my teenage years and remembering what it was like.

Review Awards and Excerpts:

"Mora writes in free verse, as well as a wide variety of classic poetic forms--including haiku, clerihew, sonnet, cinquain, and blank verse--and...the tight structures intensify the strong feelings in the poems." - Booklist

"The poet's voice is multifaceted: tender, humorous and joyful but also profound ... The author employs an extraordinary diversity of poetic forms." - Kirkus Reviews

"Peppered with Spanish, the selections define the emotion in countless ways...Teachers in need of a fresh new avenue for teaching poetic form...and teens in search of a broader definition of love will find it here." - School Library Journal

 

Connections:

• I think it would be great for parents with teenagers to read books such as this one to reacquaint themselves with what it feels like to be a teenager.  I think we get so far removed from it as we age that we forget what it's like.  This would be a great book to suggest to parents with teenagers who are trying to understand what they are going through.  It might be a bit unconventional to suggest but worthwhile.
• As for working with children, writing poetry is therapeutic and a great way to express yourself.  I'd read some of the poetry and have a poetry reading or a Slam! if it's in a library setting. 

The Skirt by Gary Soto - Latino Focus

Bibliography:

Soto, Gary. 1992. THE SKIRT. Ill. by Eric Velasquez. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0-385-30665-2.

Plot Summary:

Miata Ramirez is riding the school bus home one day with her best friend Aly, they unfortunately are being teased by a couple of boys on the bus.  This distraction has caused Miata to forget her beloved folklorico skirt on the school bus when she gets off at her bus stop.  Miata prays Aly sees it but unfortunately Aly does not.  Miata is to dance the folklorico dance at church on Sunday, the skirt was her mothers from when she was a child so Miata knows she's going to be in a lot of trouble if she can't get the skirt off the school bus before the dance.  Aly helps Miata sneak into the school bus yard to look for the skirt and an unlikely friend helps keep Aly and Miata from being discovered as they are sneaking back out of the yard.  Before the dance on Sunday Miata is presented with a special gift from her mother for the special moment of dancing the folklorico. 

Critical Analysis:

The story of The Skirt is such an identifiable one for young children because all children go through a stage where they are very forgetful.  It's a common trait among all children no matter nationality, race, sex, height or weight.  Miata is a lovely girl who feels horrible about being forgetful, especially since her mother has repeatedly told her she needs to try harder at remembering and not forgetting.  She doesn't want to disappoint her family, Miata has a wonderful, close relationship with her family which is portrayed multiple times in this book.  They sit down to dinner together, they watch baseball games together and go out for ice cream.  Miata's parents are very proud of their daughter for doing so well in school, the parents have instilled great values into their children.  This is a wonderful representation of a Hispanic American family.  There are many stereotypes about Hispanic families and this story portrays a loving, proud, hardworking family that wants the best for their children while also embracing their family heritage and tradition.  The representation of the family heritage and tradition is portrayed through the folklorico skirt. 

What I love about this book is that it incorporates Spanish words within the text.  When Miata's family sits down for dinner they have carne del viernes.  When Miata's father speaks he does so speaking English and Spanish which is wonderful because I'm sure this is very common in English and Spanish speaking Hispanic homes.  This is a great, true representation of how they speak to one another.  When Miata proudly tells her father she received an A on her spelling test his response is, "Que bueno, spelling is important.  One day you will get a good job if you know lotts of words."  This shows her father has bigger dreams for his children too.  Because there are Spanish words within the stories text I wish there was a glossary of Spanish words that would give the proper pronunciation and translation for the word.

The illustration of Miata on the front cover of the skirt is lovely and exactly as I would have pictured Miata.  I love the skirt fanned out so we can see exactly what a folklorico skirt looks like.  There are pencil illustrations throughout the book too and they are all beautiful.  The illustrations look a little dated due to the how the children are dressed in their every day clothes, styles have changed but other than that everything is well represented.  The last image in the book is of Miata dancing in the folklorico skirt with a Viva Mexico sign and Mexican flags behind her.  This is an accurate depiction of a Mexican celebration.  There are not many descriptions of what Miata looks like or what her family looks like, it is depicted in the illustrations more than the written words. 

What represents this book as a culturally accurate book more than anything is the description of Miata's mother in the kitchen cooking Mexican themed foods, Miata's father being a hard working man who loves to come home to this food, sit with this family as a proud husband and father and then watch his beloved Dodgers baseball games.  One way you can tell Miata's father loves his family very much is he found a new job that would move his family out of the city in an apartment and into a home in the suburbs.  He called them to the kitchen table to tell them what the plan was, like a good, supportive family they agreed with his plan.  It's such a wonderful story of a loving father who just wants to give his family the best life he can so his children will have more opportunities than he did. 

Review Awards and Excerpts:

“A light, engaging narrative that successfully combines information on Hispanic culture with familiar and recognizable childhood themes.” - School Library Journal

“Light, easy reading . . . offering readers a cast and situations with which to identify, whatever their own ethnic origins.” - The Bulletin

 "spunky and imaginative" heroine, Miata comes up with a clever plan to retrieve her beloved folklorico dance skirt. - Publishers Weekly

Connections:

• I love when family heirlooms are passed down from generation to generation, especially when they have to do with the families history and culture.  I would present this book to children and then discuss family heirlooms and each child's family history.  It could be turned into an art project with a younger group and have them write a small story and draw a picture of the item.  By doing a project such as this one it would help familiarize the students with different cultures which is incredibly important.

Maizon at Blue Hill - Jacqueline Woodson Novel

Bibliography:

Woodson, Jacqueline. 1992. MAIZON AT BLUE HILL. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0-385-30796-9.

Plot Summary:

Seventh grader Maizon has been accepted to the prestigious boarding school Blue Hill.  She will have to leave her best friend Margaret and her beloved Grandmother and venture away from Brooklyn for the first time and move to Connecticut.  Her Grandmother wants opportunities for Maizon that few African-Americans get; a great education that will lead to a top college.  Maizon is scared to leave home, her best friend and everything she has ever known but she does it for her Grandmother.  Maizon's biggest concern is fitting in, she's worried about being a minority amongst a school that is made up of mostly white girls from wealthy families.  Once Maizon is at school there are four African-American girls, three of them basically threaten Maizon into being friends with only them while the three girls make fun of the fourth calling her an "Oreo" because she is only friends with the white girls.  Maizon decides not to be friends with the African-American girls or the white girls, she chooses to not have friends and this makes for a horribly lonely first year at Blue Hill.

Critical Analysis:

This is a beautiful story about a brave African-American girl who tries to be strong for her Grandmother and get the amazing education she deserves.  Even though this story is about an African-American girl I feel like many girls can identify with Maizon because they have all done things they aren't comfortable doing but do it because someone they love and respect expects them to.  It's sad that Maizon decides to distance herself from everyone at the school, I feel like if she had opened up a little and made friends, regardless of color, she would have learned so much academically and about the different cultures all of the girls come from.  It was almost infuriating reading how much she distanced herself especially since her teachers wanted her to fit in so much, I think they saw something in Maizon she didn't see in herself.  I also feel if she had opened up to her best friend, Margaret, and her Grandmother they could have helped give advice as to how to deal with the segregation situation and encourage her to stay.  She distanced herself on purpose and that was frustrating to see.

When Maizon is in literature class and she suggests the book The Bluest Eye for the class to read she is excited to re-read it but she also wants to see how the girls around her react to it.  She thought the girls would be ignorant to the true meaning of the book and was surprised to learn that some actually understood the book in the same way Maizon did.  I felt this would have been a great opportunity for Maizon to see some of the girls looked beyond skin color and she could have made a friend or two.  It did get to be a little frustrating that there were opportunities for Maizon to fit in and be liked regardless of being a minority but she wouldn't allow it to happen, that is sad, she forced herself into loneliness.

I love how Brooklyn is described, sitting on stoops, watching neighbors but then I love how Connecticut and Blue Hill are described too.  Both descriptions are polar opposites of one another but spot on in what it's like in both of those worlds.  You can tell by the way the buildings and school uniforms are described this is an upper crust boarding school for the wealthy.  The way buildings, locations, cars, the way people are dressed I am unsure of the time period, it's not distinctive.  I would hope a boarding school back east wouldn't have so few African-American students today so I hope that is an indication of this book actually taking place back in the 1960's possibly. 

I would love to read the first installment of this story, Last Summer with Maizon, because I feel it might give me a better understanding of Maizon and why she deliberately didn't allow herself to find happiness and make friends.  Based on the reviews of the first book the characters are complex and rich and I feel like not reading the first book I don't have a true sense of who Maizon is.   

Review Awards and Excerpts:

"Deeply felt and intelligently written, a book that stands fairly well alone, though it is enriched by knowing Maizon's earlier background." - Kirkus Review

Connections:

• If I had a group of pre-teens in classroom setting I would ask them what opportunities did Maizon have to fit in and make friends?  Could she have found happiness at Blue Hill?  How would they have handled Maizon's various situations?  Would they have sent letters to their best friend for advice?  This type of book is great to have an open discussion about having people feel welcome regardless of skin color or back ground.

John Henry - Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

Bibliography:

Lester, Julius. 1994. JOHN HENRY. Ill. by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 0-8037-1606-0.

Plot Summary:

The day John Henry was born he immediately started growing!  He grew so fast that he busted out of his Mama and Papa's house.  Not only was John Henry a very large man but he was incredibly strong too.  John Henry could outrun the fastest horse, he could blow up an enormous boulder by pounding it with his huge hammer, this is something dynamite couldn't even do.  John Henry used his strength and his enormous hammer to help people, people didn't believe him when he'd offer to help but after they saw him work they were amazed by his strength. 

Critical Analysis:

Based on the beautiful illustrations in John Henry it is believed this story takes place during the American Industrial Revolution.  Much of the story describes John Henry helping to build roads and railways.  The clothing is also reminiscent of this time period, gentlemen wearing overalls, vests, boots and various hats.  The facial hair the men have is also old fashioned, handlebar mustaches.  Woman wearing log dresses, big hats and carrying umbrellas.  You can tell it's post Civil War era because the illustrations depict African-American men working next to Caucasian men equally.  John Henry and a steam-engine go head to head to see who can break through a mountain quicker so this also reiterates post-Civil War, American Industrial Revolution time.

The language used within the story is very old fashioned and appropriate for this story such as the use of Mama and Papa.  Such lines as, "Dying ain't important.  Everybody does that.  What matters is how well you do your living."  The use of ain't is not something that is said today by many but it is appropriate for the time frame, and possibly lack of education, for which the book takes place. 

I understand John Henry is an old story that has been carried down through generations but I was unfamiliar to the story when I decided to review the book.  Honestly I didn't really care for the story, I think my expectations for the story killed it for me.  I don't feel there was much for me to identify with, I thought the illustrations were beautiful though.  I do like the mystery behind the story of whether it actually occurred or not, that gives an interesting element to the story and one that can easily be discussed in a classroom setting.

Review Awards and Excerpts:

Caldecott Honor Book 1990

"The original legend of John Henry and how he beat the steam drill with his sledgehammer has been enhanced and enriched, in Lester's retelling, with wonderful contemporary details and poetic similes that add humor, beauty, and strength. Pinkney's evocative illustrations -- especially the landscapes, splotchy and impressionistic, yet very solid and vigorous -- are little short of magnificent. " - Horn Book Review

Connections:

• It is unknown if this story is true or not, I would have a group of children discuss whether it is true.  What about the story makes them think it's true and what do they feel can't be true. 
• I would children write and illustrate their own fable based on someone they  know.  See if they can take an extraordinary  person they know, embellish them and turn it into a story of is he or isn't he real.

this little light of mine - African American Author of Choice



Bibliography:

Lewis. E.B. 2005. THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE. Ill. by E.B. Lewis. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-689-83179-X.

Plot Summary:

This wonderful picture book is based on the African-American spiritual song This Little Light of Mine.  Through the illustrations and chorus from the song we follow a young boy as he brings happiness to those who live around him.  He brings happiness by giving high-fives to some old men in rocking chairs, he helps a sad boy his own age join in on a basketball game and helps an old lady pick up her groceries that have fallen from the grocery bag.  Through the words of the song and the illustrations you can feel the happiness he brings to his neighbors, possibly people he doesn't know, and his own family.   

Critical Analysis:

This book is beautifully illustrated to accompany a lovely song.  Based on the illustrations the book is current day, the clothes, bicycles and furniture are pretty neutral but at least within the past 15 years.  Based on the architectural elements of the homes, big trees and the old men sitting in chairs on the sidewalk is indicative of a rural southern town which is appropriate for the origin of the song.  The hairstyles of the African American children depicted in the basketball illustration are typical for African American kids, boys have short hair and the girl has braids.  It's very true to how you would see a young African American childs hair done.  

The young boy in the illustrations has such a happy, friendly and peaceful expression on his face throughout the story.  It's wonderful how he always looks so happy to see neighbors and help people.  There isn't a tremendous storyline in the book because it's the lyrics of a song but based on the illustrations a young boy walks through town saying hi to people and helping those in need and he's more than happy to do it.  You can tell by the end of the story that his family is proud of him and his family has a tremendous amount of love for one another.  The story ends with the family sitting down together for what one would think is a Sunday family dinner. 

In the lyrics of the song the worlds "I'm going to let it shine" are reapeated throughout and every time it's repeated the young boy in the story is doing something that is helping someone else.  This ties the lyrics of the song to the simple, yet sweet story depicted in the beautiful illustrations. 

Review Awards and Excerpts:

The well-known African-American spiritual serves as the text for this evocative interpretation, looking at one boy's cheerful personality as a shining light in his own neighborhood. - Kirkus Reviews

Connections:

• A story such as this one is perfect for any storytime setting whether it be in a library or school.  This book allows for a wonderful conversation about what types of acts of kindness to the children that are reading the book feel they can do or have done before.  This book is a great way to open a conversation about random acts of kindness and doing the right thing.  I would have children share their ideas and stories of how they've helped others.