Rising Above Hard Times

Esperanza Rising

by Pam Munoz Ryan

I was fortunate enough to hear author Pam Munoz Ryan speak to a group of middle school students at the Fort Worth Public library this spring. I was familiar with the author prior to this event, but hadn’t read her works. Esperanza Rising is actually based on the experiences of Ryan’s grandmother, who emigrated to California from Mexico during the Dust Bowl years. Knowing this as I picked up the book made it all the more fascinating to read.

Summary

Esperanza Ortega leads a life of privilege in 1930s Mexico. Her father owns acres and acres of land on which grapes are harvested for wine. However, when bandits kill her father and then burn her home to the ground, Esperanza and her mother are forced to flee to California. They do so with the help and guidance of the friends who used to work their land, friends and workers who are now their equals. The group ends up in the San Joaquin valley, where they live at a labor camp and go work in the fields.

Even before they arrive in California, Esperanza is seeing the ways in which her life is morphing into something she has never known. She no longer can expect someone to wash her hair when she bathes, or prepare meals for her and her mother. Everyone is on the same level, and she must learn to work, especially since work means earning the money to bring her grandmother, who stayed behind in Mexico, to California. Esperanza learns to cook, clean, help in the fields, and take care of others. She also plays witness to the labor issues of 1930s California, and finds herself in the middle of the debates that arrive in Depression-era politics. Esperanza grows wise beyond her years during her struggles to help her family, and the smart, hardened girl at the end of the story shows a maturity that far exceeds who she would have been without these experiences.

Worth Staying Up Past Bedtime?

I definitely gave up some good sleeping hours to read a few more pages of this book. Esperanza is a wonderfully inspiring character, and the pain and suffering she experiences, along with the fierce sense of love for her family and motivation to help them, are tangible throughout. Even during the moments of snobbery she portrays during her adjustment to life without excess privileges, she is endearing. This book will resonate with young girls in particular, as well as anyone who has experienced hardships in life.

Reviews and Recognition

-Winner of the 2002 Pura Belpre Award, which recognizes a Latino/Latina writer whose work best portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

Set during the Great Depression, the story weaves cultural, economic, and political unrest into Esperanza's poignant tale of growing up: she witnesses strikes, government sweeps, and deep injustice while finding strength and love in her family and romance with a childhood friend. The symbolism is heavy-handed, as when Esperanza ominously pricks her finger on a rose thorne just before her father is killed. But Ryan writes movingly in clear, poetic language that children will sink into, and the books offers excellent opportunities for discussion and curriculum support. - Gillian Engberg, Booklist

Eat Your Veggies ... Err, Garbage.

Gregory the Terrible Eater

by Mitchell Sharmat

I met Gregory many years ago. Had we actually been friends, I’m pretty sure we would have gotten along. You see, Gregory does not like to eat foods that are considered "normal" for him, and as young child, my eating habits may have been seen as a little odd, too (at least to other children, especially in our current world of sugary snacks and prepackaged everything). As I toddled about in my preschool world, I happily snacked on carrot sticks, raisins, crackers and peanut butter. Candy wasn't on my radar, just as garbage and other “typical” goat foods are not on Gregory’s.

Summary

Gregory's parents are worried about their son. Try as they might to tempt him with all sorts of yummy foods fit for a goat - tin cans, boxes, coats, pants - he has no desire to eat these "normal" foods. Instead, he asks for cereal, toast, orange juice, vegetables, eggs, fish, bread, and all manner of foods that his parents just don't understand. In desperation, they take him to the doctor, who says that picky eaters like Gregory must slowly learn to appreciate proper foods. So his parents add a shoelace to his spaghetti, some chopped up rubber heel in his string beans. He begins to enjoy the new foods, and progresses to eating things like his soup AND the soup can, and his ice cream AND the carton it came in. Gregory’s parents are pleased, and Gregory happily announces that he is “learning to like everything.”

Unfortunately, Gregory goes a little wild with his new array of food choices, and a binge follows. After a fitful night when he has agonizing dreams and stomachaches from the abundance of food he just ate - eight flat tires, a three-foot piece of barber pole, a broken violin, and half a car - he realizes that he must take his foods in moderation. His parents see the sense in this as well, and they all enjoy a balanced breakfast of scrambled eggs, two pieces of waxed paper, and orange juice.

Worth Staying Up Past Bedtime?

Yes, oh yes. Gregory’s tale is hilarious and a great lesson in learning moderation. Just as Gregory learned to not overindulge in any one food, kids will see that they should not do so either. If you will allow me to get on my soapbox for a moment, I will also say that I think stories like this are particularly relevant today, given the fact that so many children are subsisting on prepackaged, sugary foods that have little nutritional value. The illustrations are fun and colorful, and the story moves along at a comfortable pace. I would love to see this story used in preschool storytimes and as a way to open discussion about trying new things.

Reviews

This delicious book turns on its head what is healthy and what is junk food. It will not only delight young readers, but will hopefully have the intended consequence of teaching children and parents a lesson about improving children's' eating habits. - Children’s Literature