Module 7: Harvesting Hope

Summary:

Cesar Chavez lived on a ranch in Arizona until he was ten, and every night was like a fiesta with all of the happy family members around him. Bus in 1937, when Cesar was ten, a drought occurred in Arizona, and the Chavez family had to leave their wonderful ranch. Cesar and his family joined many others on the road to work in California, with all of their belongings. Once in California, they worked the hard painful work of picking fruits and vegetables as migrant farm workers. Cesar thought the inhuman way they were treated was not fair and decided to organize a nonviolent march for justice to the state capitol. Cesar Chavez was then able to sign the first contract for farmworkers in American history. Everyone celebrated and yet knew that they still had a lot of work to do for equality.


Citation:
Krull, Kathleen, and Yuyi Morales. Harvesting Hope: the Story of Cesar Chavez. San Diego: Harcourt, 2003. Print.


Impressions:
The book was very emotional and really evoked the struggle that Cesar Chaves and his family went through. I thought it was very well written and historically accurate as well as using wonderful imagery to describe the pain and struggles.


Reviews:


Grade 3-6-The dramatic story of Chavez's 340-mile march to protest the working conditions of migrant farmworkers in California is the centerpiece of this well-told biography. Readers meet Chavez at his grandparents' home in Arizona where he lived happily amid a large extended family. His childhood was cut short when, due to financial difficulties, the family was forced to move to California to seek employment. After years of laboring in the fields, Chavez became increasingly disturbed by the inhuman living conditions imposed by the growers. The historic 1965 strike against grape growers and the subsequent march for "La Causa" are vividly recounted, and Chavez's victory-the agreement by the growers granting the workers better conditions and higher pay-is palpable. While sufficient background information is provided to support the story and encourage further research, focusing on one event makes the story appealing to younger readers. The text is largely limited to one side of a spread; beautifully rendered earth-toned illustrations flow out from behind the words and onto the facing page. A fine addition to any collection.
Sue Morgan, Tom Kitayama Elementary School, Union City, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc., School Library Journal


Use in Library Setting:
This book could be used to raise awareness of historical Hispanic figures in communities as well as teach children about multiculturalism.