Multicultural Perspectives, Street Lit, Coretta Scott King and Pura Belpre Awards

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. Scholastic, 2000. Esperanza Ortaga is a young teenager girl who is the daughter of an affluent rancher in Aguascsalientes, Mexico during the Great Depression. She is the pride and joy of her parent’s life and is adored by her family and cherished servants.  Esperanza’s life of privilege and elegance comes to a tragic end after her beloved father is murdered leaving Esperanza and her mother with the harrowing decision to leave Mexico permanently.    Along with her mother and their trusted servants, they immigrate to Southern California to work as migrant day laborers. During this trying process, Esperanza must come to terms with her past life, while adjusting to the challenges of her new  adult responsibilities under extreme circumstances. Winner of the 2002 Pura Belpe Award for Narrative. This is a wonderful young adult novel that explores the themes of prejudice, immigration, bravery, workers rights, family loyalty and trust.  Best for 4^th to 6^th grade.

 

Black and White by Paul Volponi. Speak, 2005. Marcus, an African American and Eddie an Italian American are two best friends growing up together in Queens, New York. Both boys are gifted senior athletes at Long Island City High School who are enjoying the benefits of this special  time of life. After a series of reckless nights, poor judgment and the use of gun, Eddie and Marcus must re-evaluate their actions and their future choices. Both boys are forced to face the consequences of their mistakes in a challenging and often unfair way. Black and White is an extremely well-written novel that addresses the mistakes that can alter a young person’s life in a blink of an eye. I would definitely recommend this work especially when discussing issues of character education, positive decision making skills and redemption. Would be most beneficial for 9^th-12^th graders.

Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri. Candlewick Press, 2011.  Cole’s mother is distraught by his behavior such as skipping school, and failing classes.  As a last resort, she decides that living with his father in North Philadelphia would be in Cole’s best interest. After arriving, Cole learns that his father Harper is a skilled horseman and cowboy who manages a local stable with real, live horses in the inner city section of the city. Cole sees first-hand the struggles that his father and the other African American cowboys endure by trying to preserve their way of life in the most impoverished conditions. Through intense hard-work, determination and skill, Harper helps Cole learn to appreciate these unique joys very uncommon amongst urban communities. By helping Harper foster this long-standing tradition, Cole is able to develop a stronger sense of self by caring for the horses and appreciating the community as a whole. A very motivating story about the unspoken bonds one can share between parents and children and the bonds between humans and animals. I would use this book to exemplify tolerance for all traditions and cultures. Most appropriate for 4th to 6th graders.

We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson. Hyperion, 2008. This beautifully illustrated book describes the historical details of the African American Baseball League which took place in the 1920 to the 1940s which included not only African Americans but Hispanics and Indians as well. Each chapter discusses various aspects of the Negro League culture such as its background history and the popular transformative athletes who shaped it such as Jackie Robinson who was the first African American to succeed in the major leagues. The amazing detailed paintings by Kadir Nelson capture the essence of the figures in such a life-like ways that look like photographs. This is a very comprehensive work that can be used for older students due to the large amount of historical details.  2009 Coretta Scott King Award for Author and Illustrator.

Heart and Soul: The Story of Americans and African Americans by Kadir Nelson. Balzar and Bray Harperteen, 2011. Kadir Nelson uses his wonderful talent of storytelling and illustration to detail the history of the African American experience from the perspective on an elderly African American woman. The book chronicles the historic events that have shaped African Americans in the United States dating back to the Revolutionary War and the framing of the Constitution. As the book progresses, the alluring illustrations depict their struggles and triumphs through the 18^th, 19th, 20^th and 21^st centuries. The information and narratives from the Civil War, Reinstruction, The Civil Rights Movement with  Dr. Martin Luther King’s “ I Have A Dream Speech”  on the Mall in Washington D.C are extremely vivid  powerful and detailed. I would use this book in various increments because the chapters are so powerful and comprehensive which I believe  cannot be absorbed in one read through. Appropriate for junior high and high school students. 2012 Coretta Scott King Award for Author and Illustrator.