Pura Belpre Award

·      Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez written by Kathleen Krull and illustrated by Yuyi Morales

o   Suggested Grade Level: 1^st-2^nd grade. This is a picture book containing a lot of words. It would be most suitable for advanced 1^st graders and 2^nd graders.

o   Summary: Harvesting Hope is the true story of Cesar Chavez, a Hispanic American who fought for the rights of migrant farm workers in the United States. Cesar grew up happily on his family’s ranch in Arizona. However, tragedy hit in 1937. The ranch dried up and the family was forced to move to California to look for work. Cesar was picked on in the schools in California, so he dropped out in eighth grade and began to work full time in the fields. In his early twenties, Cesar decided to dedicate his life to fighting for change in the fields. He spoke with workers and persuaded them to join “La Causa” or The Cause. Cesar then organized a march from Delano to Sacramento. At the end of the march, the National Farm Workers Association was born. In the end, Cesar won his battle, and he did so without violence.

o   Classroom skills and strategies:

§  This book can be used to introduce the biography genre to young readers.

§  This book can also be used to introduce the concept of peacefully standing up for what you believe in. Cesar accomplished quite a bit for farm workers, and he did so without violence. It is important that students understand they can accomplish goals just as big as Cesar’s without violence.

o   ESOL strategies/applications

§  Use students’ experiences: This book, while not entirely bilingual, does contain several phrases in Spanish. This could prove to be especially helpful for those ELL’s who speak Spanish.

§  Identify main ideas and vocabulary: This story introduces several vocabulary words associated with workers and unions. It would be helpful to define these words, along with the Spanish phrases, and place them on a word wall.

o   Read aloud: The whole book.

o   Personal opinion: I really enjoyed reading about Cesar Chavez. I’ve always been able to recognize his name, but I’ve never known exactly why he was so well known. I learned something new in a way that not only interested me, but in a way that will also interest my students. I believe that young readers will not only enjoy this encouraging story, but will also enjoy the beautiful illustrations in this book.