Harvesting Hope The Story of Cesar Chavez- Genre 4

Bibliography

Krull, Kathleen. 2003. Harvesting Hope The Story of Cesar Chavez. Ill. by Yuyi Morales. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 978-0-15-201437-7.

Plot Summary

The story begins with Cesar remembering how wonderful life was at his ranch in Arizona. He was a quiet boy whose mother taught him never to fight. Conflicts needed to be worked out by words. When he was ten a terrible drought forced he and his family to leave their ranch in Arizona for California to look for work. His family became migrant workers on other people's farms. He felt like a slave harvesting beets, grapevines, and lettuce. He left school at the end of eighth grade to work full time in the fields. He felt he had to use his life to fight for change for migrant workers who were not treated properly. "He showed a knack for solving problems, and people trusted him." He began the National farm Workers Association. When the grapes needed harvesting he led a group off the fields in a march from Delano to Sacramento. The grapes began to rot on the vines. Their were ten-thousand people in the march when they reached Sacramento. Chavez had signed the first contract for farmworkers in American history. He had won his fight for migrant workers without any violence.

Critical Analysis

The end of the book has an author's note explaining more information about the life of a well known activist. The story is a biography about Cesar Chavez focusing on the early years of his life and fight. The details of his life are accurate. The book is written as a story of his life. It is interesting and easy to read. The book uses a few Spanish phrases for authenticity. They are explained as you read. The illustations by Yuyi Morales were done with acrylics, handmade stamps, and computer created cut-outs. The vibrant pictures are on two page spreads that are very colorful. The focus of the pictures are on the people, and their expressions on their faces add to the text. You feel the struggle of the migrant workers in their faces and sore feet on the march. This story gives everyone hope that they can solve any problem with their words.

Review Excerpt(s)

Pura Belpre Honor Book 2004

Texas Bluebonnet Award 2004

Best Children's Books of the Year 2004

School Library Journal Best Books 2003

Bookhive (Jeanenne): "This biography is an uplifting story of non-violent protest and perservance."

Booklist (Traci Todd): "Krull's language demonstrates a poetic sensibility ("The eighty acres of their ranch were an island in the shimmering Arizona desert, and the stars were all their own.")."

Children's Literature (Norah Piehl) : "Although Cesar Chavez might seem an unlikely subject for a picture book, the circumstances of his life and work should appeal to young people's sense of justice."

CCBC : "Morales's lush artwork, done mostly with richly colored oil paintings, contributes to the depth of this story. "

Kirkus : "Cesar Chavez, like his heroes Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi, believed in non-violent change. He fought ceaselessly for the rights of migrant farm workers to have a decent living conditions and a living wage. "

Horn Book: "There are no sources, but this is an excellent choice for furthering understanding of racism, of nonviolent protest, and of the lives of workers before unions."

Connections

-Read about other peaceful activists that were Cesar Chavez's heroes like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and Saint Francis of Assisi.

-Read other related books like:
Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury
Calling the Doves by Juan Felipe Herrera and Elly Simmons
Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English
by Alma Flor Ada and Simón Silva
A Day's Work by Eve Bunting and Ronald Himler
Cuadros de familia / Family Pictures by Carmen Lomas Garza
Make text to text connections/ text to self connections/ text to world connections

-Prejudice caused Cesar Chavez to hate school. Write about how prejudice is bad.