The Story of Cesar Chavez
Krull, Kathleen. 2003. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez. Orlando: Harcourt
Books. ISBN 0-15-201437-3.
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| Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez |
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| Kathleen Krull shares with readers the story of a simple man who made a gigantic difference in the lives of those who work the fields of our country. Illustrator Yuyi Morales outdoes herself in this book filled with vibrant color and the portrayal of the Hispanic way of life. Using acrylics, stamps, and some computer-created cutouts, she has brought Krull�s words to life. The cover and inside illustrations make the book inviting and arouses curiosity in young readers. Krull describes Cesar�s way of thinking in a way that allows us to see | |||||||||||||||||
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| what kind of man he was. �Cesar thought the whole world belonged to his family. The eighty acres of their ranch were an island in the shimmering Arizona desert, and the starry skies were all their own.� This piece of text is accompanied by images of Cesar�s family eating watermelon, roasting corn, and sitting outside under a tree. Children gather around their grandmother to listen to stories about Mexico. The illustrations portray exactly what the text is telling us, and they are created in a way that keeps readers engrossed in both the words and colors. In another part of Cesar�s story, Krull tells us that Cesar was so scared of school in another country, that �on his first day...Cesar flew out the door and ran home. It took three days of coaxing for him to return to school and take his place with the other first graders.� This is something that also shows us the difficult adjustments that Cesar had to endure in order to survive in the United States and the hardship that accompanied them when they lost their land in Mexico. As he was growing up, Cesar began to notice the countless injustices committed daily on the migrants. Cesar felt that working �someone else�s farm instead of his own felt like a form of slavery,� and began to work on making things different for himself and for others. Having witnessed the fact that workers were denied �clean drinking water, rest periods, and access to bathrooms,� and that they were punished severely for complaining made him take a stand. With the support of many, Cesar and his followers led the biggest and most successful strike in history! The story is well organized, showing readers the story from when Cesar was a small boy, to when he began to notice the injustices on the working man, and ending where he became a leader and made a difference in history. An author�s note at the end of the story shows us that Krull made an in-depth research before creating this book, therefore making it obvious that the accounts in it are accurate. School Library Journal describes the book and illustrations as, �beautifully rendered earth-toned illustrations flow out from behind the words and onto the facing page. A fine addition to any collection.� Kathleen Krull has truly put together a biography that readers of all ages can enjoy and learn from. Krull, Kathleen. 2003. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez. Orlando: Harcourt Books. ISBN 0-15-201437-3. |
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