Cosechando esperanza FROM THE PUBLISHER
As a boy, Cesar Chavez lived in ramshackle sheds and slaved as a field hand. Things had to change, and he thought he could help change them. So Cesar spoke up . . . and an entire country listened.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Michelle Negron Bueno
This is a translation of the original book, Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez. The story begins near Cesar's grandfather's ranch in Arizona where Cesar is surrounded by a sprawling and loving family replete with good food, holiday celebrations and folk stories. Although his home life was happy, Cesar was afraid of school. On the first day, Cesar sat next to his sister but he was moved by the teacher. He ran home and didn't return for three days. His mother gave him advice that would later become the bedrock of his work as an activist. She insisted that to resolve conflict one must use his head and his words. The author follows the Chavez family through the Depression and into the hard life as migrant farm laborers. Reflecting on the discrimination and disenfranchisement that plagued his family and fellow Mexican-Americans, Cesar decides to work for change. When Cesar leads the first meeting of the National Farm Workers Association, La Causa (The Cause) is born. Cesar then leads a peaceful protest march in California, from Delano to Sacramento. The author notes that in similar fashion to Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi, Cesar provided a peaceful and effectual approach to social change. The hardback, English version, published in 2003, won the Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor award. In this paperback edition, the illustrations are expansive, fluid and colorful, providing a perfect canvas for the vivid and fluid Spanish translation. 2004, Libros Viajeros/Harcourt, Ages 6 to 9.
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