The Wild Book

Bibliography:

Engle, Margarita. 2012. The Wild Book. New York: Harcourt. ISBN: 9780547581316.

Summary:

Josefa (Fefa) lives in Cuba in 1912 with her mother, father, and 10 brothers and sisters. The doctor says Fefa has “word-blindness” (dyslexia) and she struggles with reading and writing. Her mother gives her a blank book and tells her it is like a garden where she can sprinkle words like seeds on the pages. She practices and practices, and slowly realizes she can overcome this “blindness.” She thinks about words, breaks them down into pieces, and discovers the beauty and wildness inherent in language. When a lawless bandit demands a ransom in order to not kidnap Fefa and her siblings, it is Fefa who reads the ransom note and recognizes the handwriting. This leads to the arrest of the farm manager and makes Fefa a heroine.

Analysis:

Engle is a Cuban-American poet, and the story is based on real events in her grandmother’s life, which give an already meaningful story added significance. The novel is in free verse, written from Fefa’s point of view as she fills the blank pages in the book her mother gave her. She writes of the doctor’s diagnosis, and how words jump away from her “like slimy/bullfrogs” (5). She shares her feelings and emotions, and the reader can see her grow throughout the book, from frustration and discouragement to peace and confidence. She also writes of doing chores on her family’s farm, being teased by schoolmates and siblings, going on a vacation to the beach, and enjoying a trip to town with her cousin.

Engle makes Cuba come alive in this book, with references to animals (caimans, manatees, parrots), plants (candy tree, pensamiento flowers, jasmine petals), and customs (boys and girls going on a promenade, roasting a pig for a hunting party, and a poetry duel among the adults). She also describes the various feast days and holidays celebrated in Fefa’s town; Christmas will be familiar to all readers, but the feast day of Santiago may not be. There are also allusions to troubles in Cuba’s past, such as prison camps, and the present troubles of bandits and kidnappers. There are no illustrations except the cover, which shows a beautiful girl with brown skin and black hair who has a book in her hands and a confident expression on her face.

Spanish words are scattered throughout the poems; they are sometimes translated and sometimes can be figured out from context. Still, bilingual readers will enjoy an added dimension to the work.

Reviews/Awards:

Kirkus Reviews New and Notable Books for Children, 2012

"The idea of a wild book on which to let her words sprout is one that should speak to those with reading difficulties and to aspiring poets as well.” School Library Journal

“The author gives readers a portrait of a tumultuous period in Cuban history and skillfully integrates island flora, fauna and mythology into Fefa’s first-person tale. This canvas heightens Fefa’s determination to rise above the expectations of her siblings, peers and society.” Kirkus, starred review

Connections:
* Read Thank you, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco, another book about overcoming dyslexia.
* Read more of Margarita Engle’s poetry books about Cuba, such as The Surrender Tree and Firefly Letters.

Petty Crimes

Bibliography:

Soto, Gary. 1998. Petty Crimes. New York: Harcourt. ISBN: 0152016589.

Summary:

This collection of short stories focuses on Mexican American kids and teens who face a lot of challenges in their day-to-day lives. Their world includes gangs, schoolyard fights, “juvie,” poverty, and crime (as the title suggests). But it also includes (sometimes) supportive friends, loving parents, and the process of self-discovery. Alma’s mother died of cancer, and Alma goes around town collecting her mom’s clothes from the thrift shops where her dad donated them. Norma has to take care of a doll for her social studies class, and both she and the doll get beat up by a school bully. Mario delights in coming up with scams to get money from people, and then he himself is scammed. Jose does odd jobs for people to earn money, and when an elderly man hits his head on the swimming pool, Jose does the right thing and sees a clear difference between himself and his lying, cowardly cousin.

Analysis:

Most of these stories do not have happy endings, which is how life often is. A girl embarks on a spree of shoplifting and stealing, and the end of the story leaves her in a catfight with another girl over a boyfriend. Rudy wants to impress both a girl and his dad in a boxing match, but ends up bruised and defeated. Jose Luis pours love, attention, and money into a pet rooster, and the rooster dies.

Soto does well in the short story format, creating an engaging plot with sufficient character development. He also uses dialogue effectively and realistically, including slang. His settings, mostly in big-city California, appear authentically drawn. There are Spanish words interspersed throughout the text (“chola” is a frequent one), but they are not translated and there is no glossary. Although their meaning adds to the story, a reader can still understand the story without them, and can sometimes figure them out based on context.

Soto makes frequent reference to skin tone and other markers of Hispanic culture. Priscilla is half Mexican, and her peers call her La Guera because of her light skin. She sees herself like a powdered donut: “white on the outside but brown at the core” (3). Jose says he is “too dark to peel” (153). Laura thinks the bold red color of her grandparent’s living room is because they are from Mexico where things are more “vibrant, like tropical flowers” (32). These details add to the stories' authenticity.

Reviews/Awards:

Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature
PEN Center West Book Award

“Some characters (La Guera, a shoplifter, and Mario, a scam artist) are already on their way to becoming juvenile delinquents. Others have chosen a straighter path. Most, however, are caught somewhere in the middle, swimming against a current of violence…. With a rare mix of compassion and irony, Soto (Buried Onions) crystallizes moments signifying the loss of innocence.” Publisher's Weekly

“Filled with both humor and sadness, these slice-of-life narratives portray both self-reflective and self-involved teen characters who learn valuable life lessons from encounters with family, friends, and antagonists.” School Library Journal

Connections:
* For more short stories by Gary Soto, try Baseball in April, which won ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: Americas' Sproutings

Bibliography:

Mora, Pat. 2007. Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!. Ill by. Rafael Lopez. New York: Lee & Low Books. ISBN: 9781584302711.

Summary:

In this picture book, Pat Mora uses haiku to celebrate the various foods that are thought to be native to the Americas (South, Central, and North). The foods are listed alphabetically, beginning with blueberry, chile, and chocolate, and ending with pumpkin, tomato, and vanilla. In addition to the haiku, Mora also includes a short paragraph of informative text, pointing out that cranberries used to be called bounceberries and papayas can weigh up to twenty pounds, among many other facts.

Analysis:

This book is a celebration of food and culture, and how the two are intertwined. The faces of all the people are full of smiles, and the haiku speak of “party” and “magic” and “dance.” Children of all ages can appreciate this book. Very young children will enjoy the illustrations of yummy-looking food, young children can listen to someone read the haiku on each page, and older children can learn the facts about food. The full-page illustrations range from fanciful (children flying through the air) to realistic (a family sitting on the grass cracking pecans), but they are always very colorful and engaging.

In addition to the wonderful diversity of food, the illustrations show a diversity of ethnicity. There are a few white and African-American children, a Native American family, and many children with different shades of brown skin, who could be of Mexican heritage or from other Latin and South American countries. The food facts discuss how different cultures use (or have used) the foods. Some of the illustrations show the American Southwest or the tropics of Central America, and the landscapes look authentic, with details like a pueblo hut or a row of palm trees. Mora uses a few Spanish words throughout the text, which adds to the feeling of authenticity since many of the people in the Americas who use these foods speak Spanish.

Reviews/Awards:

Americas Award for Children’s Literature, 2008
Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List, 2008-2009
ALA Notable, 2008

“Artful compositions and brilliant complementary colors bear out the book's multicultural themes. The art conveys an infectious sense of fun, as smiling suns and moons beam down upon happy children and animals, along with a trumpet-wielding peanut-butter sandwich and a dancing pineapple.” School Library Journal

"Mora's descriptive poetry features wonderful word choices and gets it right to the essence of each food...Perfect for sharing as part of the curriculum or just for fun." Book Links

Connections:
* This book celebrates food; for a book that celebrates books and reading, try Book Fiesta! – also written by Pat Mora and illustrated in the same cheerful, colorful way by Rafael Lopez.

Goin' Someplace Special

Bibliography:

McKissack, Patricia. 2001. Goin’ Someplace Special. Ill by. Jerry Pinkney. New York: Atheneum Books. ISBN: 0689818858.

Summary:

‘Tricia Ann begs her grandmother to let her go “someplace special” by herself. Feeling grown-up and capable, she steps outside into 1950s segregated Nashville. As a young African-American girl, she faces discrimination on her journey. She must sit (or stand) in the back of the bus. She can’t sit on a park bench, or enter a grand hotel, or sit in the front rows for a music performance. She is alternately angry and discouraged by the signs and the hurtful words, but with the help of friends and her own fighting spirit, she makes it to “someplace special” – the public library.

Analysis:

The author does not reveal where “someplace special” is until the very end of the book, which is an effective narrative technique. The reader is left wondering whether it is a park or a church or a relative’s house or any number of places. In an author’s note, Patricia McKissack says that the story is based on her own childhood, and that the public library in Nashville was one of the few non-segregated places in town.

Each page has just the right amount of text for reading aloud, and the “fuzzy” watercolor illustrations are gorgeous. Full-color and full-spread, the illustrations of ‘Tricia Ann’s journey really make the book something special. He pays careful attention to skin tone and facial expressions.

The friendly people who encourage ‘Tricia Ann on her way are of both races, from a jovial African-American street vendor to a kind elderly white woman. And ‘Tricia Ann remembers her grandmother’s advice, too: “Hold ‘yo head up and act like you b’long to somebody” and “You are somebody, a human being- no better, no worse than anybody else in this world.” This is an inspirational message to all who read this book.

Reviews/Awards:

2002 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner

“An afterword explains McKissack's connection to the tale, and by putting such a personal face on segregation she makes its injustices painfully real for her audience. Pinkney's (previously paired with McKissack for Mirandy and Brother Wind) luminescent watercolors evoke the '50s, from fashions to finned cars, and he captures every ounce of 'Tricia Ann's eagerness, humiliation and quiet triumph at the end.” Publisher’s Weekly

“There are many books about a child's first trip alone, and many books about racism and the struggle for civil rights, but this book is about more than either: it is the story of a child facing a difficult time sustained by the support of the adults in her life. McKissack and Pinkney strike just the right balance in a picture book for young readers and listeners: informative without being preachy; hopeful without being sentimental.” Horn Book

Connections:
* Read along with an accessible biography of Rosa Parks, and talk about how ‘Tricia Ann couldn’t sit in the front of the bus, and what Rosa Parks did to change that.

Talkin' About Bessie

Bibliography:

Grimes, Nikki. 2002. Talkin’ About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman. Ill by. E. B. Lewis. New York: Orchard Books. ISBN: 0439352436.

Summary:

Bessie Coleman was born in Texas in 1892. As an African-American, she had to deal with racism and discrimination growing up. She helped her mother cook and clean, and cared for younger siblings. She worked in the cotton fields and took in laundry. But through all of it, she worked hard at school, and she dreamed of doing something big. As a young lady she moved to Chicago, and from there she went to France to train as an aviator, because no school in the United States would accept her. When she returned as the first licensed African-American female pilot, she gradually became a hero through her daredevil flying stunts and her inspiring lectures across the country. Though her life ended early in a tragic plane crash, she was a pioneer for African-American rights.

Analysis:

Except for some biographical information in the front and back, the entire book is written in poems from the perspectives of various people in Bessie’s life. These are fictionalized, but based on facts. Bessie’s mother, father, siblings, teachers, and friends all speak of Bessie’s work, hopes, dreams, challenges, and experiences. Some poems are written by “field hand” or “laundry customer.” Bessie’s own perspective doesn’t come in until the very last poem. The author varies the voices slightly from poem to poem, making them feel more authentic.

The writing style and the long poems make this book more suited for older children. All ages will enjoy the beautiful full-page watercolor illustrations that accompany each poem. Almost every person pictured in the book is African-American, except a laundry customer and a news reporter, and the illustrator portrays various skin tones and facial expressions. Both the text and illustrations give a good sense of what life was like for African-Americans in Texas and in Chicago.

The author shows that it was not only whites who spoke negatively about African-American abilities. Bessie’s own brother is the one who says, “You Negro women ain’t never goin’ to fly.” The book also shows those who help Bessie achieve her dream, such as an African-American newspaper owner.

Reviews/Awards:

2003 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
2003 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book

“Teller by teller, the story moves chronologically and builds emotionally to last entry, where Bessie speaks of the joy of flying...The verse reads aloud beautifully…” Booklist, starred review

“An introductory note puts the aviatrix in historical context, but neglects to explain some references (e.g., Jim Crow laws). The text consists of 21 poetic vignettes of Coleman delivered by "speakers" at a funeral parlor, all of whom have come to mourn the pilot who died at age 34 in a plane accident. Their reminiscences on stark white pages are illustrated with miniature portraits bordered in sepia, each one facing a full-page watercolor capturing a moment in the woman's life. Skillfully drawn and occasionally photographic in their realism, the pictures perfectly match each speaker's recollections.” School Library Journal

Connections:
* Pair with a second book about Bessie, such as Fly High by Louise Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger (for older children) or Nobody Owns the Sky by Reeve Lindbergh (for younger children).

Heaven

Bibliography:

Johnson, Angela. 1998. Heaven. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN: 0689822294.

Summary:

Marley is 14, and she lives in a small Ohio town named Heaven. Her Momma tells her that she saw a postcard for Heaven and knew she just had to live there. Marley likes her life in Heaven, she likes her friends, and she even likes her family. She knows that not everyone likes their family; her friend Shoogy can’t seem to stand hers. But then one stormy summer night, everything changes for Marley. A letter arrives in the mail and it prompts her parents to finally tell her that they aren’t her real parents. Her dad’s brother – known to her as Uncle Jack – is actually her father, but when her mother died in a car accident, Jack couldn’t take care of her. Marley is angry and sad and confused; she feels that she can no longer trust those she used to trust the most. It takes her some time to process this knowledge and come to terms with her life as it is. Her family and friends are supportive and loving through it all.

Analysis:

Most of the book is written in first person, like a journal entry by Marley. It’s interspersed with letters from her Uncle Jack, who drives around the country in a truck with his dog Boy.

Angela Johnson is an award-winning African-American author. The cover illustration is the first indication that the book is about an African-American girl, but the text refers within the first few pages to an “afro.” The dialogue and phrases used by the characters seem authentic for an African-American family and community. The emotions seem authentic and realistic, too, for a teenage girl who finds out that she’s adopted.

Shoogy helps Marley release anger and tension, and Bobby tells her that family is family and adoption doesn’t change that. Marley’s real father – her Uncle Jack – finally comes to see her. And Momma and Pops continue to show her the love they always have had for her.

The book also brings in current events from 1996, when the book is set. One of the plot catalysts is the burning of black churches in the South that took place in the summer of 1996; “flames that I can feel sitting a thousand miles away,” writes Marley.

Reviews/Awards:

Coretta Scott King Award Winner

“In this montage of Marley's changing perceptions, Johnson presents fragments of the whole picture a little at a time: images of people, places (the Western Union building "1637" steps away from Marley's house) and artifacts (a box filled with love letters between her birth parents) gain significance as Marley begins to make sense of the past and integrate her perceptions into her new identity.” Publisher's Weekly

“Life is Heaven in Heaven, Ohio for 14-year-old Marley until she discovers that the people she thought were her parents are actually her aunt and uncle. The man she thought was her Uncle Jack turns out to be her biological father. Angela Johnson (S&S, 1998) takes Marley on a journey of self-discovery as she must redefine who she is, and who her family is. Marley becomes an astute observer of other families and their relationships with one another.” School Library Journal

Connections:
* Read Angela Johnson’s The First Part Last, which tells the story of Bobby and Feather, Marley’s friends in Heaven. It deals with teen pregnancy and single fatherhood.