Course Reflection

I didn't really know what to expect from this class at the beginning of semester. I had heard good things about the class and I'd had the instructor before so it seemed like a good combination. In addition, we don't get very many opportunities to discuss literature that we could add to our classroom library so it felt like a good idea to take the class.

Overall I'm glad I took the class. There are some things (like what to strive for when producing my papers) that I wish I'd figured out earlier in the semester than I did but at least I learned it. I feel more comfortable looking at literature from a different perspective than just whether or not I think a student could learn from the book. I've learned better ways to review literature and determine the level of quality and the authenticity of its representation. There are some stereotypes and generalizations used in literature that I may not have even noticed before taking this class.

In addition, I've learned ways to go about finding diverse literature to add to my classroom library. Whereas before I may have just gone to local bookstores, libraries, and browsed online a little, I now realize that there are better ways to go about finding the best literature to offer my students. Most bookstores and libraries don't have the amount of diverse literature that they should...probably a result of demand. Most people probably aren't aware of what could be offered. Now I would probably start with the different awards offered for literature and/or use Amazon.com for suggestions in different genres.

While I wish I had learned some insight into ways to incorporate this material into my classroom I value the tools I now have to evaluate diverse literature and determine its authenticity and its role in my classroom.

Reflection on Latino/a Literature

Latino/a literature may not be the most underrepresented genre in children’s literature but nonetheless it is one that is not always explored and used to its full potential. There is much to be learned by readers about Latino/a culture, history, and experiences, as well as commonalities that connect the characters to the readers.
A common theme among each of these narratives is that of triumph and overcoming an obstacle. Both Esperanza Rising and Harvesting Hope confront the trials of Latino laborers in the United States. A Bird About to Sing shows a young girls struggle to perform for an audience. Doña Flor shows Flor attempts to maintain her community and protect it from potential threats.
Most of the literature shows the strength characters gain from leaning on their respective communities to better their lives. Readers can learn ways to reach out to others as well as provide support to others. The stories also encourage readers to believe in their abilities to change whatever they fear is detrimental to their lives or those of others. They provide an historical perspective of some situations of which students may otherwise lack knowledge.
Hopefully teachers will be encouraged to incorporate some of these pieces of Latino/a literature into their classrooms.

Doña Flor: A Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart

Mora, Pat. Doña Flor: A Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 2005.



Doña Flor tells the story of a giant woman who keeps watch over her town. She cares for her neighbors and is a friend to all. She can speak the languages of all the animals around her. One day none of her friends come to see her as they usually would and when she tries to discover why she finds that they are all frightened by the cries of a puma they have been hearing. Flor searches for the puma and struggles to find it. Finally, after asking her animal friends, she discovers where to look. She finds the puma roaring into a hollow log to make him sound more ferocious than he really was. He was a young puma who found the sound amusing. She took the puma home with her, introduced him to everyone, and the neighbors were no longer frightened because she had protected them.
This story earned the Pura Belpré award for illustration and was an honor book for narrative. Pat Mora shows how Flor connects her neighbors and the animals native to her area together and to the world that surrounds them. She aims to help everyone she knows however she can. Mora describes a world where everyone can live together and work together. She helps paint a lesson for children about acceptance.
Mora also incorporates some Spanish language into the story, providing the meaning directly within the text. While it may be more meaningful for the meaning of the words to be conveyed without the definition directly following, thus in a sense repeating the word, the format still provides a learning opportunity for readers.

Esperanza Rising

Ryan, Pam Munoz. Esperanza Rising. New York: Scholastic. 2000.



Esperanza Rising is the story of 13-year-old Esperanza Ortega. She is the daughter of a wealthy family in Mexico and is accustomed to being spoiled by servants and family. Suddenly her father is killed and her home is burned. She and her mother and a few close servants escape to California to a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza struggles with her adjustment to a new life of poverty and hard work. She must cope with her mother falling ill and other workers threatening to strike and how that affects their lives.
Ryan takes the experiences of her maternal grandmother and weaves them creatively into a beautiful story of a girl developing into a young woman. She won the Pura Belpré award for narrative fiction in 2002.
Esperanza is forced to change from a dependant child into a young woman who focuses on the needs of her and her family. Readers get an accurate portrayal of life first as a privileged child in Mexico and second as a poor laborer in California during the depression. Ryan incorporates Spanish language throughout her novel for the English reader to acquire knowledge. In addition she authored a Spanish version of the novel.

A Bird About to Sing

Montenegro, Laura Nyman. A Bird About to Sing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 2003


A Bird About to Sing tells the story of a young girl who finds inspiration to create poems in everything she sees. Her teacher takes her to a poetry reading but she is afraid to read her poem in front of everyone. Everyone tells her she’ll be okay and when she’s ready to perform she’ll be able to. She and her teacher ride the bus home and she asks if she can read her poem to just her teacher. She does, and she grows stronger, realizing as she finishes that all of the people on the bus are clapping for her and are the same people who were at the poetry reading. She feels confident in performing in front of other people once she’s accomplished this.
This story is something that can resonate with many readers. Many children (and adults) fear performing in front of others. This story shows how a child can overcome that fear. Montenegro also incorporates the use of poetry into the narrative. As many children are not exposed to poetry, this piece can encourage its enjoyment as it seems more fun to read than the line-by-line format.

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez

Krull, Kathleen. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez. San Diego: Harcourt, Inc. 2007



Harvesting Hope tells the life of Cesar Chavez. Starting with his home life when things were good and his family was happy, it goes on to discuss how the circumstances for his family change and he is forced to move to California to look for work as a farm laborer with his family. Disgusted by the unfair treatment he and his coworkers were treated, Chavez organizes a walkout and a march to the capital. He was successful in getting fair wages and health insurance for employees of the company for which he worked. He spent the rest of his life fighting for the fair treatment of workers throughout the world, participating in hunger strikes, ultimately contributed to health ailments that ended his life.
While Krull is not a Latina author she is well informed and talented in the art of biographical writing. Yuyi Morales earned an Honor mention for the 2008 Pura Belpré award for the illustration.
Many children grow up without any knowledge of who Cesar Chavez was and what he accomplished over the course of his life. Krull gives an accurate portrayal of what life was like for most of the farm laborers before they were able to unionize and fight for their rights. Krull’s depiction connects children to his struggles and enables them to picture what was so important to many Latinos in this country and many people throughout the world.

Professional/Critical Resource

Lempke, Susan Dove. Kathleen Krull Harvesting Hope: the Story of Cesar Chavez. The Horn Book Magazine. 01-JUL-03. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-24011679_ITM

“The brief text creates a remarkably complex view of Chavez--his experiences and feelings. Krull's empathetic words are well paired with artist Yuyi Morales's mixed-media acrylic paintings, which are suffused with a variety of emotions, especially fear and sorrow.”
This quote sums up a lot of the emotion that one develops upon reading and studying this text and its illustration. Both convey the world Chavez was struggling to improve. With few words Krull is able to open readers to thought and opinion of racism and its effects.