Title: Esperanza rising / Pam Munoz Ryan.
Publisher: Scholastic, p2000, c2000
ISBN-13: 978-0-439-12041-8
ISBN-10: 0-439-12041-1
Interest/Reading Level: Grades
5-8/6.2
Book Summary:
Esperanza’s life completely changes
when her rich father is murdered. Esperanza’s
mother is faced with marring her husband’s brother, who is vying for political
position, or flee to America. The great
depression creates a difficult world for Esperanza and her mother. They must
now be the servants working for pennies as immigrant workers. What would it be
like to struggle as an immigrant during the depression? How could one stand
going from riches to rags? Read this wonderful story and find out!
My Thoughts:
This is a wonderful portrayal of a
family struggle when tragedy strikes. The loss of a parent for a young girl is
difficult enough, but having to be completely uprooted and change your life and
country because of it would be completely devastating. This tender story follows a young girl who
starts to see life through adult eyes as she no longer views life through her
father’s rose garden. I know the
difficulty of losing a parent at a young age, and readers who struggle with
immigrant life styles, changes in family situations, and coming of ages will relate
to this story and the loveable characters.
Library
Toolbox of Tips and Tricks:
Individual
Celebrations: All that I am poem:
Celebrate
Esperanz’s experiences, travels, challenges, losses and victories in a three-stanza
poem. Task the students to write an "I Am" poem to tell the story of
Esperanza's migration to the fields and migrant labor camps of California. Then
have them make a similar poem about their own lives. Post these outside the
library!
Cultural
Celebrations:
Invite
students to bring in personal effects to hang on display for a Heritage
month. Have students use yarn link items together with notes describing how the items are
similar: Race? Tradition? Family? Religion? This is an excellent way to show that while we are all different we are still connected!
References:
Image:
Esperanza Rising [cover image]. Retrieved from:
http://www.titlewave.com/cover?FLR=21688K8&
SID=2dcbeefa5ae31261c2c9e6cc10abccd8&type=cover
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