separate is never equal: sylvia mendez and her family’s fight for desegregation written by duncan tonatiuh

Tonatiuh, Duncan. Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & her Family's Fight for Desegregation. New York: Abrams, Harry N., Inc., 2014. ISBN: 9781419710544

Plot Summary:
     Sylvia Mendez was a young girl excited to begin school in her new town in California. However, upon the arrival of her first day, her and her siblings were turned away and told that they must attend the Mexican school. Being a young child, Sylvia could not comprehend why her and her siblings who spoke perfect English could not attend the same school as her peers. This day begins the day in which the Mendez family begins their fight for desegregation within the school system. A compelling story behind a family who fought for equality prior to the famous Brown vs. the Board of Education.

Critical Analysis:
     Separate is Never Equal is a picture book that both illustrates and articulates the story behind the efforts of the Mendez family as they seek justice and equality within segregated schools. The author, Duncan Tonatiuh, incorporates actual interviews with Sylvia Mendez as well as information gathered from court records and news accounts. The most moving part of this story is when the author depicts when the lawsuit went to court and incorporates actual transcript from the case within this work of historical fiction. Dialogue from the superintendents as they make claims such as, "they need to learn cleanliness of mind, manner, and dress. They are not learning that at home." These are actual accounts from court transcripts from the Mendez vs. Westminster court case. Further strengthening the author's usage of cultural authenticity is his inclusion of interlingualism throughout the context including another powerful line said by Sylvia's mother; "No sabes que por eso luchamos?" This line is translated as, "Don't you know that is why we fought?," as Mrs. Mendez begins to describe the importance and hardships endured for desegregation.
     Along with Tonatiuh's strong inclusions from actual dialog, he also provides his audience with profound illustrations. He utilizes simplified shapes and various textures to portray cultural elements among the Mexican Americans he depicts. Such elements include the usage of brown skin and thick shiny hair to depict Mexican Americans, as well as including the style of clothing worn in the mid 1940's. The author does a great job including various elements to accurately depict and tell the story of Mendez vs. Westminster.

Review Excerpts:

"Tonatiuh (Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote) offers an illuminating account of a family’s hard-fought legal battle to desegregate California schools in the years before Brown v. Board of Education. In 1944, after years of laboring as a field worker, Sylvia Mendez’s father leases his own farm in Westminster, Calif. But even though Mexican-born Mr. Mendez is a U.S. citizen and his wife is Puerto Rican, their children are banned from the local public school and told they must attend the inferior “Mexican school.” When all else fails, the Mendezes and four other families file a lawsuit. Readers will share Sylvia’s outrage as she listens to a district superintendent denigrate Mexicans (Tonatiuh drew his words and other testimony from court transcripts). Visually, the book is in keeping with Tonatiuh’s previous work, his simplified and stylized shapes drawn from Mexican artwork. He again portrays his characters’ faces in profile, with collaged elements of hair, fabric, and fibrous paper lending an understated texture. An extensive author’s note provides historical context (including that Sylvia Mendez received a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011) and urges readers to make their own voices heard." - Publishers Weekly

"When the Mendezes moved to Westminster, CA, in 1944, third-grader Sylvia tried to enter Westminster School. However, the family was repeatedly told, "'Your children have to go to the Mexican school.' 'But why?' asked Mr. Mendez……'That is how it is done.'" In response, they formed the Parents' Association of Mexican-American Children, distributed petitions, and eventually filed a successful lawsuit that was supported by organizations ranging from the Japanese American Citizens League to the American Jewish Congress. Younger children will be outraged by the injustice of the Mendez family story but pleased by its successful resolution. Older children will understand the importance of the 1947 ruling that desegregated California schools, paving the way for Brown v. Board of Education seven years later. Back matter includes a detailed author's note and photographs. The excellent bibliography cites primary sources, including court transcripts and the author's interview with Sylvia Mendez, who did attend Westminster School and grew up to earn the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Tonatiuh's illustrations tell a modern story with figures reminiscent of the pictorial writing of the Mixtec, an indigenous people from Mexico. Here, the author deliberately connects his heritage with the prejudices of mid-20th century America. One jarring illustration of three brown children barred from a pool filled with lighter-skinned children behind a sign that reads, "No Dogs or Mexicans Allowed," will remind readers of photographs from the Jim Crow South. Compare and contrast young Sylvia Mendez's experience with Robert Coles's The Story of Ruby Bridges (Scholastic, 1995) to broaden a discussion of school desegregation." - School Library Journal

"A little-known yet important story of the fight to end school discrimination against Mexican-American children is told with lively text and expressive art.Most associate the fight for school integration with the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education. However, seven years earlier, Mexican-American students in California saw an end to discrimination there. The little girl at the center of that case, Sylvia Mendez, was the daughter of parents who looked forward to sending her to the school near their newly leased farm. When her aunt attempted to register the family children, they were directed to the "Mexican school," despite proficiency in English and citizenship. No one could explain to Mr. Mendez why his children were not allowed to attend the better-appointed school nearby. Despite the reluctance of many fellow Mexican-Americans to cause "problems," he filed a suit, receiving the support of numerous civil rights organizations. Tonatiuh masterfully combines text and folk-inspired art to add an important piece to the mosaic of U.S. civil rights history. The universality of parents' desires for better opportunities for their children is made plain. The extensive author's note provides context, and readers can connect with the real people in the story through photographs of Sylvia, her parents and the schools in question. Helpful backmatter includes a glossary, bibliography and index. Even the sourcing of dialogue is explained.A compelling story told with impeccable care." - Kirkus Reviews

Connections:
Customers who purchased this title also purchased Brown Girl Dreaming, The Right Word, and When the Beat was Born.

Interactivity:

• Ask children if they have heard of Brown vs. The Board of Education, then educate them on Mendez vs. Westminster.
• Teach children that separate is not equal.
• Allow children to describe how they would feel if they were not able to sit next to their friends because they do not have the same eye color as them.

dizzy in your eyes: poems about love written by pat mora

Mora, Pat. Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems About Love. New York: Random House Inc., 2010. ISBN: 9780375843754

Plot Summary:
      Various poems depicting the emotions people go through as they experience love are collectively compiled in this title. Through these poems, the author takes her audience through a myriad of emotions as she details all kinds of love varying from the love of a pet to the love of your first crush. These poems question your own understanding of love and the relationships we all hold dear and true.

Critical Analysis:
     Dizzy in Your Eyes is a compilation of fifty poems detailing the emotions of love. The author, Pat Mora, subtly incorporates Hispanic cultural markers such as interlingualism and the struggles that one may succumb due to language barriers. Within the poem titled Spanish, the author, Pat Mora, incorporates various inclusions of Spanish terminology and the Spanish language such as, "Porque estas tan quieta?" Along with these inclusions, the author also details how hard it is for a Hispanic girl to go to school because she struggles to comprehend English. Because of this description, the author allows her audience to take a look on the inside of literacy issues that those who may not speak fluent English deal with on a day-to-day basis. The author subtly incorporates Hispanic cultural authenticity within this compilation; however, she emphasizes more on love itself.

Review Excerpts:

"In the introductory material readers learn that most of the poems started out as free verse in which Mora addresses various forms of love—filial, boyfriends, pets and just those warm fuzzy feeling caused by caring for someone or something. Mora decided to take some of her poems and put them into forms some of which like tercet, tanka, letter, pantoum, sestina and villanelle are not all that familiar while sonnet, cinquian, haiku, dialogue and list are much more familiar formats. The effect is to create a varied collection held together by the subject of love. Some poems will bring back memories of first love, friendships that lasted through school but were shattered when it came time for the prom. Perhaps that one held a special significance because it stayed with me-the boy whose company you have enjoyed for years asks someone else to the prom, (your heart almost stops.) There are wonderful poems celebrating an older couple's long life together, family outings and the unfailing love of parents and unquestioning love of a pet for its owner or vice versa. One of the poetic forms used to great effect is the tercet (Revenge X3) where a young man slips the same note to three girls, but finally gets his comeuppance. Yet another wonderful poem, Sisters,extols all the positive aspects of sisterhood. A nice item to be shared with ones own sisters. Teachers should be able to make effective use of this collection and students are bound to find several poems that will resonate." - Children's Literature 

"Celebrated author and speaker Mora offers encouragement by example in this appealing and evocative poetry collection that spans the rainbow of different types of love as well as provides an array of poetry forms. Many poems are snapshots or vignettes of the myriad emotions and angst experienced during young adulthood. The love is at times simple, innocent, and playful and at other times celebrates those important people such as mothers and teachers. Finally there is the new, intense, dizzy but sometimes scary and often unrequited love. For example in the pantoum form "Dumped," Mora writes "me, a lump you dumped, casually," which conveys a feeling almost all teens will experience. While in the villanelle, "Our Private Rhyme," she offers "I feel you near. We're intertwined." The choices of poetry are arranged in a cycle which parallels that of love itself and mirrors a song with four movements. The poems run the gamut of emotions and offer glimpses into the heart and head as well as the creative soul. There are helpful and informative footnotes throughout the text that describe the various styles of poetic form used in the poem on the following page. One poem is even offered in both English and the author's native Spanish. This collection may be used to stimulate young adults to attempt their own poetry and could easily be employed as a classroom tool." - VOYA 

"A collection of poems written in various forms, each narrated in a different teen voice. According to the author's note, Mora envisioned the flow of the poems as that of a symphony with four movements—an opening focus on love's initial rush, followed by a few bumps in the road, healing after loss of love, and finally the joy of finding new love. This cohesion is indeed delivered. Peppered with Spanish, the selections define the emotion in countless ways. The quiet lyricism of some lines will prompt many readers to roll them over and over on their tongues; this is a world in which a simple smile can make a boy feel as if he's "swallowed the sun" or one's worst fear might be a kiss "dull like oatmeal." Where relevant, poetic form is indicated, defined, and discussed on the adjacent page. For all its beauty, this collection is also, in some ways, hard to pin down. The jacket copy and title might lead one to expect a focus on the intensity of teen romantic love. The love here is neither hot and heavy nor clichéd, however, but rather a glimpse into the last remaining innocence of the teen years. At times, the narration even slips a bit astray from an authentically teenage voice. Those expecting a more typical raw, edgy approach to love with poetry akin to the ramblings of a teenager's journal will be better off elsewhere. Teachers in need of a fresh new avenue for teaching poetic form, lovers of language, and teens in search of a broader definition of love will find it here." - School Library Journal 

Connections:
Some titles purchased by customers who also purchased this title include: Secret Saturdays, Surface Tension, and All Unquiet Things.

Interactivity:

• Ask children if they have ever felt left out because of something they felt like they didn't grasp as fast as other children.
• Facilitate a discussion based around the things they love the most and why they love them.
• Have children write a short poem on the thing they love the most and then have them choose a noun and replace it with the Spanish translation of that word.

the surrender tree: poems of cuba's struggle for freedom written by margarita engle

Engle, Margarita. The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom. New York: Henry Holt, 2008. ISBN: 9780805086744

Plot Summary:
     Rosa is a young nurse/healer who makes it her duty to help those in need of medical attention. Despite the circumstances during Cuba's struggle for independence from Spain, she helps those in need of her gift. Through her journey to help, she becomes a target in Lieutenant Death's eyes because she aides the wounded runaways that he hunts. However, a time comes when even Lieutenant Death seeks the medical attention from Rosa.

Critical Analysis:
     The Surrender Tree is a compilation of poems organized in narrative form to articulate the story of Cuba's struggle through the eyes of the protagonist, Rosa. The author, Margarita Engle, organizes this story within five separate parts detailing significant events surrounding Cuba's fight for freedom. Three of the five parts includes descriptions of The Ten Years' War, The Little War, and The War of Independence. Within these segments, the author accurately incorporates historical markers portraying the time period that of which is being described. Lines such as, "Ten years of war are over. A treaty. Peace...The Spanish Empire still owns this suffering island," are examples of the details utilized to strengthen historical context. Along with historical inclusions, the author also incorporates interlingualism; these examples can be seen in sentences such as, "Quien vive? Who lives?" The utilization of interlingualism strengthens language introduction to his audience. Lastly, the author also incorporates cultural markers through the descriptions of the types of foods prepared, such as yams, cornmeal, coconuts, and pineapples -- these foods are indigenous to Cuba. Through the usage of various cultural markers, the author provides his audience with varied cultural authenticity.

Review Excerpts:

"A powerful narrative in free verse . . . haunting." - The Horn Book

"Tales of political dissent can prove, at times, to be challenging reads for youngsters, but this fictionalized version of the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain may act as an entry to the form. The poems offer rich character portraits through concise, heightened language, and their order within the cycle provides suspense. Four characters tell the bulk of the story: Rosa, a child who grows up to be a nurse who heals the wounded, sick and starving with herbal medicine; her husband, Jose, who helps her move makeshift hospitals from cave to cave; Silvia, an orphaned girl who escapes a slave camp so that she may learn from Rosa; and Lieutenant Death, a hardened boy who grows up wanting only to kill Rosa and all others like her. Stretching from 1850 to 1899, these poems convey the fierce desire of the Cuban people to be free. Young readers will come away inspired by these portraits of courageous ordinary people." - Kirkus Reviews

"Often, popular knowledge of Cuba begins and ends with late-20th-century textbook fare: the Cuban Revolution, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Fidel Castro. The Surrender Tree , however, transports readers to another, though no less tumultuous, era. Spanning the years 1850-1899, Engle's poems construct a narrative woven around the nation's Wars for Independence. The poems are told in alternating voices, though predominantly by Rosa, a "freed" slave and natural healer destined to a life on the lam in the island' s wild interior. Other narrators include Teniente Muerte , or Lieutenant Death, the son of a slave hunter turned ruthless soldier; José, Rosa's husband and partner in healing; and Silvia, an escapee from one of Cuba's reconcentration camps. The Surrender Tree is hauntingly beautiful, revealing pieces of Cuba's troubled past through the poetry of hidden moments such as the glimpse of a woman shuttling children through a cave roof for Rosa's care or the snapshot of runaway Chinese slaves catching a crocodile to eat. Though the narrative feels somewhat repetitive in its first third, one comes to realize it is merely symbolic of the unending cycle of war and the necessity for Rosa and other freed slaves to flee domesticity each time a new conflict begins. Aside from its considerable stand-alone merit, this book, when paired with Engle's The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano (Holt, 2006), delivers endless possibilities for discussion about poetry, colonialism, slavery, and American foreign policy." - School Library Journal 

Connections:
Customers who purchased this title also purchased the following titles: Savvy, After Tupac and D Foster, and The Underneath.

Interactivity:

• Ask children if they are familiar with The Ten Years' War, The Little War, and The War of Independence.
• Facilitate a discussion on the similarities between the Underground Railroad and how Rosa created her own makeshift hospitals for the wounded and sick.
• Ask children if they think they are brave enough to help those in need vs. not helping them because they are told not to.