Wednesday, July 25, 2007

THE EARTH DRAGON AWAKES





Yep, Laurence. 2006. EARTH DRAGON AWAKES. New York: Harper Collins
ISBN-10: 0060275243

PLOT SUMMARY
Yep’s historical fiction novel looks at the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco from the point of view of two young boys. Written in journal style we meet Henry, the son of a well off banker, and Chang, the son of the family house boy have become fast friends and want what every child wants, excitement. Both boys plan to grow up and do exciting things and not be “boring” like their fathers. They soon have more excitement then they could have ever imagined when the earthquake hits. The boys and their family’s are soon left homeless in a city that is on fire. Together they overcome the obstacles and make plans to stay in San Francisco and help rebuild.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Yep’s journal style story is action packed and would be a great book for that reluctant reader or boy who loves adventure. However, there seems to be a few cultural markers that Yep is breaking. One example is the Asian American as the house boy. Ah Sing is always their for the family to save the day repair the clothing and clean up around the house. I understand that in San Francisco many Asian American men and women worked for the well off families at this time, but as I read the story I could not get the stereotypical view of the house boy out of my mind. Another example is the language of Ah Sing. He is seen in the story speaking to the family in broken English. “I got plenty. I sweep, I find, I keep.” However, at the end of the book he is seen speaking to the Travis family in clear English. “May I help you with your luggage?”
Overall, the story is exciting and Yep does do a good job describing what life would have been like in san Francisco and Chinatown during the time of the quake. He also tries to show the family as appreciative of the service of Ah Sing and his son. They are like family.Mr.Travis even suggest recommending lawyers to help the Asian American family’s when he learns that the citizens of San Francisco want Chinatown rebuilt elsewhere. The inclusion of actual photos from the earthquake and an afterward describing the quake are wonderful additional information for the reader who wants to learn more.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

School Library Journal
Yep looks at the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 from two points of view. Chin is a young Chinese immigrant whose father is a houseboy for a prominent banker and his family. He has become friendly with young Henry Travis, the banker's son, through their interest in low-brow but exciting penny dreadfuls. The stories depict heroic people doing heroic things and, while both boys appreciate their fathers, they certainly do not regard them as heroes. Not, that is, until the Earth Dragon roars into consciousness one spring morning, tearing the city asunder and making heroes out of otherwise ordinary men.

Booklist
On the evening of April 17, 1906, neither eight-year-old Henry nor his friend Ching is aware that the earth beneath their San Francisco homes is shifting. Devotees of "penny dreadfuls," both boys long for excitement, not their fathers' ordinary routine lives.

Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Dragon-Awakes-Francisco-Earthquake/dp/0060275243


CONNECTIONS
Related websites
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/earthquakes/

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1906/18april/index.php

GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY




Say, Allen. 1993. GRANDFATHER’S JOURNEY. Boston, Mass: Houghton Mifflin.
ISBN-10: 0395570352

PLOT SUMMARY
Based on his grandfathers life. Allen Say tells a touching story of a man caught between to lives, the one he leaves in Japan and the new one he finds in America. We follow the young man as he leaves the safety of his home and ventures out to a new land full of “enormous sculptures that amaze him’ and huge cities of factories and tall buildings that bewildered and excites him”. After making a home for himself he returns to his homeland to marry. He then returns to America with his bride and lives contently for many years. However, he begins to miss his homeland and returns with his family. While happy with his life in Japan he can not get his adopted home out of his mind and lives the remainder of his life hoping to return one day.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Say’s Caldecott winning picture book gives the reader a personal look at a man torn between two worlds. Rather than focusing solely on the grandfathers story Say incorporates three generations of the family and how they too are torn between two countries. The simple straight forward text tells a lot without distracting from the beautifully done watercolor illustrations. Say has chosen to use sepia colors much like old photographs. This technique helps to give the reader the sense of the past. It is as if the reader is looking through a family photo album listening to someone tell a story. Because this is Say’s family story he has an insider perspective. He has made sure to accurately show the clothing, housing, and landscape of the countries. He has also been sure to depict the characters with the proper facial expressions and skin color both in America and Japan. Overall, this is a lovely story that not only is a wonderful addition to Asian American literature, but a wonderful tool in teaching about immigration and the mix of two cultures.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Amazon.com
Home becomes elusive in this story about immigration and acculturation, pieced together through old pictures and salvaged family tales. Both the narrator and his grandfather long to return to Japan, but when they do, they feel anonymous and confused: "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other

From Publishers Weekly
Say transcends the achievements of his Tree of Cranes and A River Dream with this breathtaking picture book, at once a very personal tribute to his grandfather and a distillation of universally shared emotions. Elegantly honed text accompanies large, formally composed paintings to convey Say's family history; the sepia tones and delicately faded colors of the art suggest a much-cherished and carefully preserved family album.


Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Grandfathers-Journey-Caldecott-Medal-Book/dp/0395570352

CONNECTIONS
The following sites include lesson plans and activities.
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/socialstd/MBD/Grandfathers_Journey1.html
http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/profbooks/grandfatherjn.htm

THIS NEXT NEW YEAR




Wong, Janet S. 2000. THIS NEXT NEW YEAR. Ill. by Choi, Yangsook. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
ISBN-10: 0374355037

PLOT SUMMARY
Wong has written a wonderful story describing a young boys preparations for Chinese New Year. Our young narrator explains how Chinese New Year is different then the New Years Day that he celebrates on January 1st. We learn how his family prepares for their celebration by cleaning the house and cooking special meals. The reader is also introduced to some of the traditions of the holiday such as receiving money in red envelopes and the belief that if your palms itch you will be coming into money. Just like New Years Day on January 1st or main character looks forward to s fresh new start with the new year and “making all his dreams come true.”

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Wong does a wonderful job explaining the tradition of the Chinese New Year to an younger audience. She is able to take a subject that could be a bit dry and add humor so that an younger child can relate. Her explanation of the young boy’s palms itching is typical of all children. “My brother thinks it’s warts, but I know the luck is coming.” It is passages like this that make the reader realize that our young narrator is no different then any other American boy. Another cultural marker Wong uses in the story is the fact that our character ask for luck with school. He is not shown as the “smart Asian student” he obviously could use all the help he can get. A nice addition to the story is the author’s note at the end in which she explains her own memories of the holiday.
Choi’s illustrations work well with Wong’s story. She uses warm colors to show the excitement of the holiday. Though the illustrations are simple they have lots of action showing the excited preparations that most people face before the holidays. The characters are shown with warm tan to brown complexions. Some do appear to be of Asian decent but they are not drawn as the stereotypical Asian.
Overall this is a wonderful book to reads to introduce the custom of Chinese New Year. It is simple enough for younger students yet would be a great jumping point for older students who want to learn more.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Amazon.com
A spunky young boy makes plans for "this next new year" in Janet S. Wong's festive, truly engaging story of the Chinese Lunar New Year, celebrated annually in late January or early February. "And all day tomorrow, Lunar New Year's Day, I will not say one awful thing, none of that can't do/don't have/why me because this is it, a fresh start, my second chance, and I have so many dreams I'm ready now to make come true." So he flosses his teeth and helps his mom scrub the house "rough and raw so it can soak up good luck like an empty sponge," and plans to be brave when his family sets off firecrackers at midnight. The Chinese Korean boy tells us, in a funny, fresh, first-person voice, how his best friends, a German French boy and a Hopi Mexican girl, like to celebrate the Chinese New Year, too. Yangsook Choi's artfully composed, action-packed paintings add uplifting color to the happy spirit of the holiday, and an author's note provides more details about the Chinese New Year and Wong's childhood memories of the celebration.
From School Library Journal
Youngsters will enjoy the bright colors and the sense of motion and activity conveyed as the boy helps his mother clean, flosses his teeth, and cringes from the noise of the firecrackers. A good choice for anyone getting ready to celebrate Chinese New Year.


Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/This-Next-Year-Janet-Wong/dp/0374355037

CONNECTIONS
Sam and the Lucky Money ISBN-10: 1880000539
The Dancing Dragon ISBN-10: 1572551348

Saturday, July 7, 2007

The Birchbark House





Erdrich, Louise. 1999. THE BIRCHBARK hOUSE. New York: Hyperion Books.
ISBN-10: 0786803002


PLOT SUMMARY
Omakayas lives with her family on the Island of the Golden Breasted Woodpecker. Their lives are controlled by the seasons. In this tale we follow Omakayas and her family as they prepare for each season by hunting, fishing, and preparing their home. Life seems to be moving along smoothly for the family until a stranger comes to the village and brings small pox. Many of the tribe members catch the illness including Omakayas’ mother, father, sister and younger brother. However, the most devastating is the illness of her baby brother. With the help of her grandmother they nurse the family back to health. All accept her baby brother. Devastated by the loss and the hard winter the family struggles not to starve and return to normal. It is during this time that Omakayas learns of her special powers to heal and her past that lead her to her family and the completion of the circle.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Endrich wrote this story almost accidentally. She was researching her family’s tribe the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa with several family members and decided to take what she learned and turn it into the first adventure of Omakayas. She spent much time listening to elders and visiting the island to make the story authentic. One example that helps to make her story authentic is her use of language. Native Americans spend much of there life guided by the seasons so it was nice to see that the book was divided up into sections that are named after the seasons in Ojibwa. There are many more examples of her use of the Ojibwa language through out the story such as the name she calls her father Deydey. Another example that helps with the authenticity is her description of the daily routine of the family. The way the hunted and gathered for the season helps to make this story more than a good read. Readers are learning about the culture of a specific Native American tribe. Endrich also contributed the illustrations to the book as well. The simple drawings help to give the reader a peak at what the author had in mind when creating the characters.
Overall this is a good story for upper grades to read. The author’s note and the glossary help to aid the reader and teacher in better understanding the story.



REVIEW EXCERPTS
Amazon.com
Readers will be riveted by the daily life of this Native American family, in which tanning moose hides, picking berries, and scaring crows from the cornfield are as commonplace as encounters with bear cubs and fireside ghost stories. Erdrich--a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa--spoke to Ojibwa elders about the spirit and significance of Madeline Island, read letters from travelers, and even spent time with her own children on the island, observing their reactions to woods, stones, crayfish, bear, and deer. The author's softly hewn pencil drawings infuse life and authenticity to her poetic, exquisitely wrought narrative. Omakayas is an intense, strong, likable character to whom young readers will fully relate--from her mixed emotions about her siblings, to her discovery of her unique talents, to her devotion to her pet crow Andeg, to her budding understanding of death, life, and her role in the natural world

From Publishers Weekly
Erdrich's (Grandmother's Pigeon) debut novel for children is the first in a projected cycle of books centering on an Ojibwa family on an island in Lake Superior. Opening in the summer of 1847, the story follows the family, in a third-person narrative, through four seasons; it focuses on young Omakayas, who turns "eight winters old" during the course of the novel. In fascinating, nearly step-by-step details, the author describes how they build a summer home out of birchbark, gather with extended family to harvest rice in the autumn, treat an attack of smallpox during the winter and make maple syrup in the spring to stock their own larder and to sell to others. Against the backdrop of Ojibwa cultural traditions, Omakayas also conveys the universal experiences of childhoodAa love of the outdoors, a reluctance to do chores, devotion to a petAas well as her ability to cope with the seemingly unbearable losses of the winter. The author hints at Omakayas's unusual background and her calling as a healer, as well as the imminent dangers of the "chimookoman" or white people, setting the stage for future episodes. Into her lyrical narrative, Erdrich weaves numerous Ojibwa words, effectively placing them in context to convey their meanings. Readers will want to follow this family for many seasons to come

Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Birchbark-House-Louise-Erdrich/dp/0786803002


CONNECTIONS
The second book in the series.
The Game of Silence
ISBN-10: 0064410293

Crazy Horse's Vision





Bruchac, Joseph. 2000. CRAZY HORSE’S VISION. Ill. by S.D. Nelson. New York: Lee and Low Books.
ISBN-10: 1880000946

PLOT SUMMARY
Curly, better known as Crazy Horse, was a quiet boy. Even as a quiet child he showed his bravery. At the age of eleven he conquered a wild horse his father brought into camp. Two years later he killed a mighty buffalo and gave it to the people of the camp that could not hunt for themselves. Things were good for Curly until one day when the white man killed Chief Conquering Bear in a battle at the camp over a lost cow. Sensing that his people would need someone to guide them he defied tradition and went out on a vision seeking guidance without being properly prepared. It is this vision that guides Curly to become Crazy Horse and to one day defend his people.


CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Bruchac has done a wonderful job telling the story of a young Crazy Horse. Children are often amazed at seeing their heroes as young children. Much detail is given to the personality of Curly. He is seen as a quiet yet brave child who soon finds his mission in life. Bruchac makes sure to give accurate detail about the traditions of the Lakotas such as the vision quest. The author’s note at the end of the story gives additional details on the entire life of Crazy Horse so that students and teachers can continue their learning experience after the story ends.
Nelson, a Sioux artist, used the Plains Indian style of ledger book for many of his illustrations. Special attention was given to colors. Crazy Horse is painted blue to show his connection with the sky and the connection with the spirit world. His double page spreads help to draw the reader into the story and the small print does not distract from the illustrations. The illustrators note at the end of the book gives additional information on the style and technique that is used to create the pictures.
Overall, this is a wonderful story to share with students. They will enjoy looking at a hero as a child and seeing the important events that shaped his life.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
From Publishers Weekly
As he did in Gift Horse, Sioux artist Nelson blends contemporary and traditional elements for the striking illustrations that accompany this story of the legendary Lakota warrior. Bruchac (A Boy Called Slow: The True Story of Sitting Bull) traces Crazy Horse's boyhood, zeroing in on a pivotal event in his life and highlighting an important Native American rite of passage. As a youth, Crazy Horse (then known as Curly) witnesses U.S. Army soldiers brutally and unjustly attack his people. Troubled, he embarks on a vision quest and sees a figure on horseback riding untouched through a storm of lightning, hail and bullets. His father interprets the vision, telling him that "the man on that horse is the one you will become" and that he is destined to defend his people. Bruchac's description of the vision quest is compelling, and his decision to limit his canvas to a few select events demonstrates his understanding of his audience; an afterword describes subsequent events in the warrior's life. Endmatter also illuminates Nelson's approach. The artist explains his approximations of the Plains Indians' traditional ledger-book style (characterized by indistinct facial expressions and flat, two-dimensional figures) and his symbolic use of color (Crazy Horse is painted blue, representative of a connection with the spirit world). His sweeping vistas and somewhat ghostly textured brushwork bolster the book's visionary theme..

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 5-Crazy Horse is the revered Lakota warrior who defeated General Custer during the Battle of Little Bighorn. Bruchac provides this information and much more in an author's note, but the main narrative involves scenes of his subject's youth. He presents details from oral history, such as "Curly's" quiet nature, early leadership skills, and vision quest. The boy sought divine inspiration after his tribe was invaded by white settlers; the vision, which taught him to "Keep nothing for yourself," was to guide him throughout his life. Nelson's note acknowledges the influence of his ancestors' ledger-book style on his acrylic paintings executed on wood panels. The artist uses stylized figures, symbolic color, and texture to create dynamic scenes. While there are many stylistic similarities to Nelson's art in Gift Horse (Abrams, 1999), here the artist has a stronger sense of book design, and takes better advantage of double-page spreads, full bleeds, and tight croppings. Older children will appreciate comparing the images to the 19th-century ledger-book drawings reproduced in Russell Freedman's The Life and Death of Crazy Horse (Holiday, 1996). A fine introduction to a hero long overlooked.


Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Horses-Vision-Joseph-Bruchac/dp/1880000946


CONNECTIONS

Classroom teaching guide
http://www.leeandlow.com/pdfs/vision.pdf

Jingle Dancer





Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2000. JINGLE DANCER. Ill. by Van Wright, Cornelius. and Ying-Hwa Hu. New York: Morrow Books.
ISBN-10: 068816241X

PLOT SUMMARY
Jenna daydreams of becoming a Jingle Dancer like her grandmother. When grandmother tells Jenna she can dance at the next powwow she is excited. She watches videos of her grandmother over and over so she will be perfect. However, all the practice will not fix her problem. Grandmother does not have enough time to order Jingles for her dress. Determined to have the jingles for her dress she goes to her friends and family in the neighborhood to ask for help. Generously the allow her to borrow a few jingles to make her regalia perfect and carry on the tradition of their cultures dance.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Smith has done an excellent job telling the tale of Jenna a member of the Creek nation. Smith herself a member of the Creek nation is able to write from the insider’s point of view. This view is so rare in Native American Literature. Jenna the main character is seen from a modern perspective. She lives in a modern community with her family close around. This modern view is evident in the clothing and activities that Jenna participates in and the women Jenna visits in order to get jingles for her dress. These women are independent, strong, and modern. One example is Jenna’s cousin Elizabeth the lawyer. Besides showing strong women Smith has also made sure to include accurate information about the dress and customs surrounding it. At the end she has also included an author’s note explaining the Creek nation and the history behind the original jingle dancers. The end also includes a glossary explaining some of the words used in the story that readers may be unfamiliar with.
Wright and Hu’s illustrations in soft colors work well with the story. The colors are not overwhelming and do not take the readers attention away from the story. The skin tone on the characters is a soft tan color indicating that they are of ethnic background. The tone is never too red like many pictures of Native Americans. They have made sure to illustrate the community like any other community in America. The final scene when Jenna is dancing is shown as a blur to emphasis Jenna and her dress. This is nice to see rather than an over drawn Powwow with feathers and drums.
Overall, this is an excellent book to share with children about the customs of the Creek Nation.



REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly
Smith, a mixed-blood member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, convincingly juxtaposes cherished Native American tradition and contemporary lifestyle in this smooth debut. Watching a videotape of Grandma Wolfe performing a jingle dance, Jenna is determined to dance at an upcoming powwow. But she lacks the cone-shaped, tin jingles that are sewn on to dancers' dresses as part of the regalia. The girl walks down a suburban sidewalk lined with modern houses as she sets out to visit her great-aunt, a neighbor, a cousin and Grandma Wolfe, all of whom lend her jingles for her dress. Smith's language consciously evokes legend. For example, "As Sun caught a glimpse of the Moon" indicates the time of day; and Jenna is careful to borrow only a limited number of jingles, "not wanting to take so many that [another's] dress would lose its voice." Van Wright and Hu's (Jewels) lifelike renderings capture the genuine affection between Jenna and these caring older women.

School Library Journal
Without enough tin jingles to make her dress sing, how can Jenna be a jingle dancer just like Grandma Wolfe at the next powwow? She borrows one row from Great-aunt Sis, whose aching legs keep her from dancing; another from Mrs. Scott, who sells fry bread; one from Cousin Elizabeth, whose work keeps her away from the festivities; and a fourth row from Grandma, who helps Jenna sew the jingles to her dress, assemble her regalia, and practice her bounce-steps. When the big day arrives, the girl feels proud to represent these four women and carry on their tradition.

Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Jingle-Dancer-Cynthia-Leitich-Smith/dp/068816241X


CONNECTIONS
Additional Books on Native American Culture
Pushing up the Sky: Seven Native American Plays for Children
ISBN-10: 0803721684

The First Strawberries
ISBN-10: 0140564098
Teaching Guide
http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/CLS/cyn_books/jingle/guide_to_jingle.html

Friday, July 6, 2007

Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan





Ryan, Pam Munoz. 2004. BECOMING NAOMI LEON. New York: Scholastic.
ISBN-10: 0439269970


PLOT SUMMARY
Naomi lives a rather simple life in the Avocado Acres Trailer Rancho with her brother Owen and her Gram. They do not have many possessions but they do have the love from their friends like Fabiola and Bernardo and their next door neighbor Mrs. Maloney. Life seems to be moving along until one night when an unexpected guest shows up at their door. At first the children are unsure of who the guest is. Once they realize that it is their mother they are both shocked and happy. It has been seven long years since she dropped them off with Gram. Thinking this is a new life for them Naomi and her physically challenged brother Owen try to get to know their Mom. They soon learn that she and her boyfriend are not good. Afraid that their mother might fight for custody Gram, Fabiola and Bernardo sneak away in the night to Oaxaca, Mexico in search of the children’s father. In the end they find their long lost father and get the chance to explore their Mexican heritage.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ryan has done an excellent job painting a picture of a loving non traditional family. Though she includes information on the traditions of Oaxaca, Mexico during the holidays this story is not primarily about Mexican American family. Any reader would be touched by the love Gram has for the children as well as the care and patience she has for Owen and his special needs. The characters are likeable and easy to fall in love with. Your heart breaks when Owen tries so hard to make his Mom like him after being gone for more than seven years. Ryan also does a fine job in her unlikable characters. Clive and Skyla have been written well and are easy to dislike. Overall this is an excellent story for any student in the upper grades who wants to see the love and support of a nontraditional family.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal
Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw lives with younger brother Owen and her fiercely practical Gram in a trailer park in California in this novel by Pam Munoz (Scholastic, 2004). An unpopular fifth grader, she spends lots of time in the library with the other outcasts and the kind librarian. Naomi's talent is carving objects out of soap. After being gone for seven years, her mother shows up one day with a scary boyfriend, Clive. Gram lets the children know that their mother, Terri Lynn, has always been wild and irresponsible. They're worried that she will assert her parental rights and take the children away. Naomi is insecure and particularly susceptible to her mother's attention. Owen is essentially ignored by Terri Lynn because he has some physical deformities, but Clive thinks he could use Owens’s deformities to make money gambling. Gram, the neighbors, and the children go to Oaxaca to find the children's father and get him to sign papers making Gram their guardian. Their dad is thrilled to see them, and Naomi learns that her talent for soap carving is inherited from her father.
Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Americas-Childrens-Literature-Commended/dp/0439269695/ref=ed_oe_h/102-7454338-7744927


CONNECTIONS
Additional books that would be beneficial on the importance of families.

Ida B: . . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World ISBN-10: 0060730269

Esperanza Rising ISBN-10: 043912042X

So Be It ISBN-10: 0064410471

Pablo's Tree By Pat Mora




Mora, Pat. 1994. PABLO’S TREE. Ill. by Lang, Cecily. New York: Macmillan.
ISBN-10: 0027674010


PLOT SUMMARY
Each year on his birthday Pablo can hardly wait to spend the night with his grandfather and visit his special tree. Pablo’s tree was chosen by his grandfather in hopes that he would one day have a grandson. The tree was finally planted on the day that his daughter adopted Pablo. Every year since Pablo’s birth his grandfather has decorated the tree with some special gifts like streamers on his first birthday and wind chimes on his fifth birthday. The love between Pablo and his grandfather is as strong as Pablo’s tree and evident throughout this touching story.


CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Mora does a nice job telling the story of love and tradition between a grandson and his grandfather. It is also nice to see adoption being addressed in a Mexican American picture book. She mixes English text with small amounts of Spanish. Rather than having a glossary for the Spanish words in the back of the book she has chosen to include the meaning of the words in the text.” Como este mi nieto grande? How is my big grandson?” The love and respect shown for the grandfather is also an important message in this story. The role of a grandparent in a Mexican-American family is a valued one and nice to see. Besides these cultural markers the only other evidence is the illustrations. Lang has done a superb job with her bright collage paper cut outs. The detail is focused on the characters and Pablo’s tree. The background does not distract from the important parts of the story. She has made sure to show the characters skin tone and hair appropriately. The white haired grandfather is shown as a loving warm man. The kind anyone would want as a grandfather.
Overall, it is a nice story of the love and special bond between a grandson and grandfather. The text is a bit bland and would work well for younger children.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist
Five-year-old Pablo can hardly wait to see how Abuelito, his grandfather, has decorated Pablo's tree for his birthday. When Mam{ }a first told her father that she was going to adopt a baby and name it after him if it were a boy, Lito went out and bought the tree for his grandson. He moved the tree from place to place and watered it, but he waited to plant it until the day that Mam{ }a finally brought Pablo home. And every year since then, Lito has decorated the tree for Pablo's birthday. For his first, Lito hung colored streamers on the tree. For his second, Lito tied balloons. For his third, it was paper lanterns, and last year, it was birdcages. What will it be this year? As in A Birthday Basket for T{¡}ia (1992), Mora and Lang tell a story that focuses on the special relationship between a child and an older person within a Hispanic family. Boldly cut and bright with detailing accents, Lang's clever cut-paper collages fill each page like a photo album with picture after picture of a family history that sparkles with love and a sense of belonging. A lovely and resonant picture book that, like the tree that Pablo discovers decked with bells and wind chimes rings with happiness and family love.

Kirkus Reviews
It's Pablo's birthday, and he's ready for his birthday visit to his grandfather Lito's house, where Lito has decorated a special tree in Pablo's honor. Pablo's tree was planted when his mother adopted him. It was put in a special place--not in the front yard (where it was too noisy), not in the rose garden (where there were too many thorns), but in a quiet spot in the sun. Each year on Pablo's birthday, Lito picks something different with which to decorate it--streamers, colored balloons, paper lanterns, tiny birdcages. This birthday it is festooned with chimes. Pablo and Lito celebrate the day by munching apples and listening to the music the wind makes blowing through Pablo's tree. Pablo looks forward to next year's decoration, which Lito assures him will be yet another surprise. Though this is a charming story about a particularly joyful Mexican-American birthday tradition, the text wanders.

Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Pablos-Tree-Pat-Mora/dp/0027674010

CONNECTIONS
Additional books by Pat Mora on Mexican American cultural.
Tomas and the Library Lady ISBN-10: 0375803491
A Birthday Basket For Tia ISBN-10: 0689813287

The Skirt by Gary Soto




Soto, Gary. 1992. THE SKIRT. Ill. by Velasquez Eric. New York: Delacorte Press.
ISBN-10: 0440409241



PLOT SUMMARY
Miata Ramirez has a problem; she loses things. One Friday afternoon she accidentally leaves her mothers Ballet folklorico skirt on the bus. Not only does Miata need the skirt to dance in on Sunday but, her mom is always reminding her not to loose things. Unable to tell her family about the missing skirt she must think of a way to get it back. In order to get the skirt off the bus Miata enlist the help of her friend Ana. Hoping to not get caught the girls sneak into the bus yard in search of the skirt. To their surprise they see Miata’s father working on one of the buses. After barely making their escape with the skirt Miata’s mother surprises her with a gift. The new skirt Miata is given is beautiful but, she feels a loyalty to her mother and the skirt and wears both the new and old skirt together to honor her mother.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Gary Soto has done an excellent job of highlighting the cultural of a Mexican American family as well as the daily issues present in all families. Soto has touched on several cultural markers necessary to make a story culturally accurate. One marker is Miata’s family. The family is extremely close and they work hard. Miata’s father often takes extra jobs to help support the family. Another marker is Soto’s description of food. “At dinner they had steak, frijoles, and papas fritas.” Another example of culturally authentic food would be breakfast food of chorizo con huevos. A final marker is celebration of Ballet folklorico. The group performs traditional Mexican folk dances wearing beautiful colorful skirts. All of these markers help to make this book a good example of life in a Mexican American home.

The pencil drawn illustrations by Eric Velasquez help to give the reader a closer look at the characters in the book. The use of black and white illustrations is a good choice. They do not draw the reader’s attention away from the text which is the most important element in a chapter book.

Overall, this book would be an excellent read aloud and great book for the discussion of families and cultural differences.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From Publishers Weekly
Described by PW as a "spunky and imaginative" heroine, Miata comes up with a clever plan to retrieve her beloved folklorico dance skirt.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
This is a light, engaging narrative that successfully combines information on Hispanic culture with familiar and recognizable childhood themes. The San Joaquin Valley, California, setting is realistically drawn, and the closeness of Miata's family is reassuring.

Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Skirt-Gary-Soto/dp/0440409241


CONNECTIONS

Additional books by Gary Soto that would be great for an author study.
Chato and the Party Animals ISBN-10: 0142400327
Too Many Tamales ISBN-10: 0698114124
Baseball in April and Other Stories ISBN-10: 0152025677