The First Strawberries

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1993. The first strawberries: A Cherokee story. Retold by Joseph Bruchac. Ill by Anna Vojtech. Dial Books for Young Readers: New York. ISBN 0803713320.

PLOT SUMMARY:
One day a man comes home tired from work and finds his wife does not have dinner ready for him. This folktale tells of the story of an argument between husband and wife. The sun tries to remedy the situation by creating raspberries, blueberries and blackberries to capture her attention and stop her from walking away from her husband and marriage. None of the berries interest the wife, until the sun places a patch of sweet strawberries in her path. Her husband is then able to catch up to her to apologize.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
This picture book is full of double and single page spread artwork. Simple clean lines depict the simple beauty of the Native American life. The illustrator uses watercolors and colored pencils to create full page scenes to enhance the storyline. Skin tone, facial features, clothing, home and hair style are cultural markers found in the illustrations. Both the man and woman have long dark hair. The woman’s hair is divided into two long plaits. Their home is thatched or woven grass with wooden branched poles on the outside of the round shaped dwelling. The general environment is one of a natural paradise.

The text is interesting and begins with “Long ago when the world was new, the Creator made a man and a woman. The two of them were made at the same time so that neither would be lonesome. They married, and for a long time they lived together and were happy.” The mention of a Creator indicates religion and marriage a religious practice. There is no identification of a specific culture in the text, no language patterns or dialects. The story itself is rich in meaning and tells the story of forgiveness and to remember to see each other as nature’s gifts, like the flowers picked by the woman and the berries sent by the sun.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

Review from KIRKUS REVIEWS: “A gentle story of the Sun's healing of marital discord by a gift of ripe strawberries that magically grow at the feet of an angry woman as she flees her husband's harsh words, thus halting her departure long enough for him to catch up and make amends. Thereafter, the story concludes, whenever the Cherokee eat strawberries, they are reminded to be kind to one another. Quietly luminous watercolors capture details of dress, dwelling, implements, flora, and fauna against an open landscape of rolling hills. Small touches dramatize the story's moods: a bouquet of brown-eyed Susans flung to the ground in anger; an empty nest in a pine tree as the woman disappears behind the western hills; the glimmer of a single firefly as man and wife are reconciled. Complete harmony of text and pictures: altogether lovely.”

Review from BOOKLIST: “At the beginning of the world, a man and a woman marry and live happily together until, one day, the wife picks flowers instead of preparing dinner. Stung by her husband's anger and his coldness, the woman vows to leave him and swiftly walks away. He cannot catch up with her, so the remorseful man enlists the help of the sun, which magically makes first raspberries, then blueberries, then blackberries spring up beside her path. But only when a carpet of strawberries appears before her does she stop, pick, and eat. Their sweetness leads her to forgive her husband, and they are reunited.

This Cherokee tale explains the origin of strawberries and reminds us "that friendship and respect are as sweet as the taste of ripe, red berries." Told simply and directly, the tale reads well. The artwork, combining watercolors with color pencils, celebrates the natural world simplified, softened, and sunlit. A delectable choice for reading aloud, with or without a basketful of wild strawberries to pass around.”

Review from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Bruchac ( Keepers of the Earth ; Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back ) once again brings simplicity and lyricism to his interpretation of Native American legend. The Cherokee tale told here explains the origin of various berries and, in the process, presents an unspoken but powerful case for respecting one another and the earth. The first man and woman live in harmony, until one day the man speaks in anger and the woman leaves him, walking so fast he cannot catch her.

Regretting his outburst, he appeals to the sun, who agrees to help by slowing the woman's pace--creating in her path raspberries, then blueberries, blackberries and, finally, strawberries, which ``glow like fire in the grass.'' Stopping to taste one, the woman finds that its sweetness ``reminds her of how happy she and her husband had been together,'' and she decides to share the fruit with her husband. Spare text, an uncomplicated story line and gentle illustrations keep this quiet but resonant tale accessible to even the youngest child. Vojtech's soft, luminous watercolors conjure up an unspoiled landscape bathed in sunlight--visual reinforcement of the idea that the earth and its wonders are indeed gifts.”

CONNECTIONS
Activities
* Use for lessons on identifying plot, theme, setting, characters.
* Discuss folktales and traditional stories and why they are located in the nonfiction section.

*Use as storyline for puppet show or Readers Theatre, complete with narrator/sun.

Rain Is Not My Indian Name

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2001. Rain is not my Indian name. Harper Collins: New York. ISBN 006029504X

PLOT SUMMARY:
Cassidy Rain Berghoff is a typical teen who deals with the recent loss of her best friend and being in one of only two Native American Indians in town. She takes a position as a photographer for the local paper only to learn that her life is changing all around her, which brings her closer to her family and to her native heritage. Her assignment is to cover her Aunt Georgia’s Native American Youth Summer Camp. Her unwillingness to participate lends itself to her helping to cover the story and learn about her heritage while recovering from her loss.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Without illustrations, the cultural markers are present in the text. Physical attributes and identification of a specific culture are imbedded in the text. When describing herself, the main character recalls that “Only my mom had admired my so-called Kansas coloring. She used to say that my hair looked like waving wheat and my eyes changed color with the weather.” And “… Because my coloring is lighter, I usually get the standard questions: “How much Indian are you? (About forty-five pounds worth.) And “Are you legally [or a card carrying] Indian?” (Yes, but only on my mother’s side.)” When discussing a potential field trip to a wild-rice harvest… the main character provides insight into the cultural insensitivity of the community… “I could guess the harvest was part of the Ojibway traditional life – past, present and future. That being the case, it most likely had some spiritual importance. Aunt Georgia was hinting to Flash that it might be best for an outsider to leave details alone. I wasn’t sure if he understood or not.”

REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Gr 6-10-Cassidy Rain Berghoff has sustained some powerful losses in her young life. The tragic accidents that claimed the lives of her mother and, more recently, her best friend, Galen, have made this middle schooler introspective, but she's still got her sense of humor. While her Kansas community discusses the funding for her aunt's Indian Camp, and her older brother faces marriage and parenthood, Rain is trying to sort out who she is in this novel by Cynthia Leitich Smith (HarperCollins, 2001). The author brings many of her own life experiences to this multifaceted, coming-of-age novel. Jenna Lamia's nuanced narration balances the story's comic and serious elements. The sound quality is good, and there is helpful information on the cassettes and case. Though this story may be a bit top heavy on problems, there are enough light-hearted moments to keep readers from getting bogged down. It will fit well in libraries serving multicultural, middle school audiences.”

Review from VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES: “When her brother, Fynn, and his pregnant girlfriend, Natalie, encourage Rain to join the Indian craft camp run by their Aunt Georgia, Rain is unenthusiastic. A lifelong shutterbug, she agrees to photograph the meetings for the local paper. There Rain meets three other part-Indian teens and starts to recover a lost friendship with Black Queenie, once Galen's girlfriend. Various family and community conflicts impact Rain, but they do not deter her from her journey toward recovery. On Galen's birthday, she visits her mother's grave at the cemetery, not quite ready to visit Galen's, but she is definitely ready for life. A quick and easy read that will appeal to preteen and young teen girls, this novel is especially suited to ethnically mixed, Native American, or reluctant readers. Except for Rain, who deals with racial and emotional issues, character development and plot are superficial. The story's focus on death and grief recovery is a popular subject with young teens, and the open-ended conclusion is well suited for a sequel. Readers might see more of Rain.”

Review from KIRKUS REVIEWS: “Tender, funny, and full of sharp wordplay, Smith's first novel deals with a whole host of interconnecting issues, but the center is Rain herself. At just 14, Rain and her best friend Galen promise always to celebrate their birthdays; hers on New Year's Day, his on the Fourth of July. They had just begun to see themselves not just as best friends but as girl and boy that New Year's Eve night, when Galen is killed in a freak accident. Rain has already lost her mother and her Dad's stationed in Guam. She's close to her Grandpa, her older brother, and his girlfriend, who realize her loss and sorrow but have complicated lives of their own. Her response to Galen's death is tied to her tentative explorations of her own mixed Native American and German/Irish heritage, her need and desire to learn photography and to wield it well, and the general stirrings of self and sex common to her age. Rain has to maneuver all of this through local politics involving Galen's mother and the local American Indian Youth Camp (with its handful of local Indian teens, and Rain's erstwhile "second-best friend" who is black). What's amazing here is Rain's insight into her own pain, and how cleanly she uses language to contain it.”

CONNECTIONS
Activities
* Use for discussing death and family relationships.

*Create Reader’s Theatre script for interactive reading aloud.

* Plan a read aloud lesson and incorporate Native American research using online databases.

* Have students plan and write a sequel to this story incorporating accurate Ojibway traditional information for the continuation of the American Indian Youth Summer Camp.

Mud Pony

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1988. The Mud Pony: A traditional Skidi Pawnee tale. Retold by Caron Lee Cohen. Ill.by Shonto Begay. Scholastic: New York. ISBN 0590415255.

PLOT SUMMARY:
A poor young boy longs for a pony of his own. Unable to have one of his own, he makes one out of earth and clay. Unable to find him out playing with his clay pony, his family leaves, in a rush, without him on a buffalo hunt. His mud pony comes to life as a part of Mother Earth to care for him as he cared for his mud pony. With all his faith in Mother Earth and his mud pony, the young boy faithfully follows her advice and becomes a great chief of his tribe. After the mud pony returns to clay the chief retains his courage and faith in Mother Earth.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Illustrations of the Native American Indians contain cultural markers such as skin tone, facial features, body type, clothing, hair style, and clothing of the traditional representations. Clothing is sparse and the hair is long, some are wearing Mohawks and some males have eagle feathers in their hair. The pictures are reminiscent of watercolor pictures, though I cannot be certain as this is not stated in the acknowledgement or book jacket. The horse is represented as the mode of transportation and the general environement is one of life outdoors. A tepee camp is mentioned as the home of Skidi Pawnee. “Finally at the third nightfall, he [the boy] saw a camp in the distance…. And all the people came out of their tepees, astonished to see him.” The illustrations add a dimension to the story aside from the text.

The text contains sparse language patterns. “Nawa tiki!...” is the greetings the boy receives from his tribes war chief upon entering and finding his way back to camp. Dried [buffalo] meat and soup are the two foods mentioned in the text. There are no names of characters, forms of address or identification of a specific culture in this text aside from the subtitle. The religious practice of being faithful and listening to Mother Earth is at the heart of this story.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “A quietly told tale, solidly built upon Pawnee traditions; for example, the symbolic use of Mother Earth is characteristic of this tribe who lived in dome-shaped earth lodges. The watercolor illustrations are executed in earth tones with spatter backgrounds. The primitive style, with minimal details and flat perspective, almost resembles Indian artwork found on the walls of their housing. An authentic Indian folktale.”

Review from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “From the Skidi branch of the Pawnee Indians of the Plains comes this tale of a boy who achieves greatness in his tribe with the guidance of a pony he made out of mud. Too poor to own a pony like the other boys, he fashions a small mud pony and goes to see it every day. It is during one of these visits that the rest of the tribe moves west in search of buffalo, and the boy is left behind. Not only does the mud pony become a living, breathing horse, but she takes him to his tribe; later, she helps him become the chief of his tribe by giving him great power in battles. ``I am here, your Mother Earth. You are not alone!'' are the words he hears when the mud pony has once again gone back to the earth. Cohen retells this story with grace; Begay, a Native American artist, provides evocative paintings that derive strength and impact from the suggestion of action rather than fully detailed scenes.”

Review from BOOKLIST: “Told among the Skidi band of the Pawnee Indians of the western plains, this moving story tells of a boy too poor to have a pony of his own but gentle enough in spirit for Mother Earth to guard him and eventually help him to become a chief of his people. The vehicle for the boy's transformation is a clay- faced mud pony that comes alive and is Mother Earth's messenger. The pony guides the boy, who in turn carefully cares for the animal until the day, years later, when the pony announces it must return to Mother Earth. The boy, now a chief, bids his pony farewell, hearing once again its reassurance that Mother Earth is always with him. Begay's paintings are both dreamy and dramatic. Mottled backdrops highlight the principal figures and underscore the tale's supernatural aspects. A useful change of pace from more traditional folklore choices, this strong story will also complement studies on native Americans.”

CONNECTIONS
Activities
* Use for lessons on identifying plot, theme, setting, characters.
* Use to discuss religious practices of different cultures.
* Discuss illustrator Shonto Begay and compare the Mud Pony to his other works.

Esperanza Rising

BIBLIOGRAPHY :
Ryan, Pam Munoz. 2000. Esperanza Rising. Ill. by Brian Selznick. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439398851.

PLOT SUMMARY:
Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege on a ranch in Aguascalientes, Mexico when Esperanza’s father is killed by bandits. Esperanza’s grandmother (Abuelita) is too ill to follow and is left behind with the promise to join them at a later date. They travel with their former housekeeper and her family to California to work as farm labor workers. Esperanza finds her new place in society difficult to deal with. When her mama falls ill and leaves Esperanza to continue without her, she finds the will to preserver in the face of adversity. This historical fiction novel is set in the time of the Great Depression and racism.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
The one illustration is found on the front cover of the book. The depiction of Esperanza with her wavy, dark, long hair flowing in the wind is of a light skinned young girl with fine features. The text is a goldmine of cultural markers to indicate the specific culture as Mexican in origin. Many words and sentences intermingle the Spanish language with the English language. The Spanish words are in italics to distinguish them. The Spanish saying of “aguantate tantito y la fruta caera en tu mano” (good things come to those who wait) is used frequently. Names of characters include Ramona, Esperanza, Sixto, Horntensia and Miguel to name a few. Mama and Papa or Papi, Abuelita, Tio, senor and senora are used as forms of address specific to the culture. The author describes Esperanza’s mother as “tall and elegant, her hair in the usual braided wreath that crowned her head and Papa [Esperanza’s father as], barely taller than Mama, his graying mustache twisted up at the sides.” Interestingly, the chapters are named after the current fruit or vegetable in season as the workers lives depended on and passed in a series of produce seasons worked in the labor camps.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

Review from BOOKLIST: Gr. 6-9. Ryan's clear, poetic language is, unfortunately, lost in Molinero's formal Spanish rendition that lacks the lyricism of the original. Nonetheless, Spanish-speaking readers will be touched by the poignancy in the lives of 13-year-old Esperanza and her mother, who are forced to leave their wealthy ranch in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and move to a life of poverty and hard work in a farm labor camp in Southern California.

Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: Gr 6-9-Inspired by her grandmother's immigration stories, Pamela Mu-oz Ryan (Scholastic 2000) offers valuable glimpses of the lives of Mexican-American farm workers during the Depression. When her father dies, 13-year-old Esperanza and her mother are forced to abandon their privileged lives and move to California. At first the proud girl is appalled that they must share a cramped row house and work at menial jobs, but when her mother becomes gravely ill, she learns the value of generous friends and her own inner resources. This coming-of-age story also looks at the economic and social issues of that era, and the author's note adds valuable factual information. Trini Alvarado's narration is adroit and melodic as she handles text that skillfully intersperses Spanish phrases and songs.

AWARDS

Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee 2003

CONNECTIONS

Activities
*Use for depicting life in the Great Depression for non-privileged people.

*Create a farm workers timeline using produce picked as markers of time.

*Create Readers Theatre script for 3^rd-5^th grade.

*Use story to create an art scrapbook of events that occurred in Esperanza’s life.

Tomas and the Library Lady

BIBLIOGRAPHY :
Mora, Pat. 1997. Tomas and the Library Lady. Ill. by Raul Colon. New York: Random House Children’s Books. ISBN 0679804013.

PLOT SUMMARY:
Tomas and his family travel from Texas to Iowa in search of work as migrant field workers. While in Iowa, Tomas is encouraged, by his grandfather, to visit the local library in search of new stories to share with the family. He is befriended by the public librarian. They begin a friendship that changes his life. This story is based on the life of a Mexican-American educator and chancellor of a California University, Tomas Rivera.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
The illustrations of this text are mostly shades of brown with little color mixed in. The use of watercolors and color pencils portray Tomas’s family life and imagination in almost the same hues. Skin tone and facial features distinguish the migrant workers from the “tall library lady” with blonde hair. Tomas’ general environment as a migrant worker is depicted with the revelation that his family travels to pick fruits and vegetables and that he and his family share lodgings with other migrant families. Names of characters are also cultural markers used in this book, for example the grandpa is affectionately called Papa Grande (Big Daddy). Pan Dulce (sweet bread) is also a cultural food item mentioned in this story. Spanish words indicate the specific culture. Words such as, pajaro (bird), libro (book), gracias (thank you) and buenas dias (good morning) are used in the story to illustrate the culture of Tomas and his family.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Gr 2-4 Tomás Rivera, who at his death in 1984 was the Chancellor of the University of California at Riverside, grew up in a migrant family. Here, Mora tells the fictionalized story of one summer in his childhood during which his love of books and reading is fostered by a librarian in Iowa, who takes him under her wing while his family works the harvest. She introduces him to stories about dinosaurs, horses, and American Indians and allows him to take books home where he shares them with his parents, grandfather, and brother. When it is time for the family to return to Texas, she gives Tomás the greatest gift of all book of his own to keep. Colón's earthy, sun-warmed colors, textured with swirling lines, add life to this biographical fragment and help portray Tomás's reading adventures in appealing ways. Stack this up with Sarah Stewart and David Small's The Library (Farrar, 1995) and Suzanne Williams and Steven Kellogg's Library Lil (Dial, 1997) to demonstrate the impact librarians can have on youngsters.”

Review from KIRKUS REVIEWS: “A charming, true story about the encounter between the boy who would become chancellor at the University of California at Riverside and a librarian in Iowa. Tom;s Rivera, child of migrant laborers, picks crops in Iowa in the summer and Texas in the winter, traveling from place to place in a worn old car. When he is not helping in the fields, Tomas likes to hear Papa Grande's stories, which he knows by heart. Papa Grande sends him to the library downtown for new stories, but Tomas finds the building intimidating. The librarian welcomes him, inviting him in for a cool drink of water and a book. Tomas reads until the library closes, and leaves with books checked out on the librarian's own card. For the rest of the summer, he shares books and stories with his family, and teaches the librarian some Spanish. At the end of the season, there are big hugs and a gift exchange: sweet bread from Tomas mother and a shiny new book from the librarian to keep. Colon's dreamy illustrations capture the brief friendship and its life-altering effects in soft earth tones, using round sculptured shapes that often depict the boy right in the middle of whatever story realm he's entered. (Picture book. 7-10)”

AWARDS

Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee 2000

CONNECTIONS
Activities
*Use as read aloud to introduce the library and librarian.

*Use as Dia de los Ninos, Dia de los libros reading selection.

*Read during cultural awareness or reading program.

*Along with other titles by this author, create an author’s spotlight display.

The Skirt

BIBLIOGRAPHY :
Soto, Gary. 2008. The Skirt. Ill. by Eric Velasquez. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0385905343.

PLOT SUMMARY:
Young Miata is always losing things. When she loses her mother’s old folklorico skirt on the school bus, she devises a plan to get it back without her mother finding out. With the help of her best friend Ana, Miata manages to sneak into the bus barn to retrieve her skirt. After all the trouble of sneaking around to get her mother’s skirt back, Miata finds that she treasures her mother’s old skirt as an heirloom. Set in Los Angeles, California this story is realistic fiction set in the present.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
The few black and white drawings contain the cultural markers of a Mexican American heritage. Blue jeans, button shirts and sweatshirts are worn by the family at the dinner table in one drawing. A picture in the kitchen represents some time of traditional cultural representations of pyramid type drawings. Facial features and shading to represent skin tone are also present in this book. The identification of specific culture is evident with the mention of the missing folklorico skirt. Miata’s mother also uses Spanish words of their native language and describes the physical attributes of Miata’s skin color as an endearment when she says, “¡Ay Dios! …. You scared me, prieta. I didn’t hear you come in.” Miata also describes her best friends physical attributes with “Little Ana had curly hair and a galaxy of freckles on her face.” The author continues with the next sentence, “Miata had known one other Mexican girl who had freckles.”

REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Gr 3-5-- Miata Ramirez has a problem that will strike a chord with many children: she forgets things. This particular Friday afternoon, she has left her folkl orico skirt on the school bus, and she is supposed to dance in it on Sunday. She sees no alternative but to break into the bus and retrieve it. So, dragging along her shy friend, Ana, that is exactly what she does. 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. A fine read-aloud and discussion starter, this story blends cultural differences with human similarities to create both interest and understanding.”

Review from BOOK LIST: “Gr. 3-4. Frequently scolded for losing things, fourth-grader Miata Ramires can't bear to tell her parents that she's left her treasured folklorico skirt on the Friday afternoon school bus. Mom wore the skirt as a child in Mexico and now looks forward to watching Miata wear it when her dance troupe performs in the church courtyard on Sunday. With help from an old friend and an old enemy, Miata breaks into the bus yard, retrieves the skirt, and wears it in her performance. A good beginning chapter book, this uses simple words without sounding too simplistic. Velasquez's eight drawings break up the text, heighten the drama, and provide sympathetic portrayals of the characters.”

AWARDS

Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee 1995

CONNECTIONS
Activities
*Select as Read Aloud for 2^nd-5^th grade to discuss culture or perseverance.

*Use with students to create a Readers Theatre script.

*Turn the Readers Theatre script into a play for the older elementary student to perform for the younger elementary students.