Krull, Kathleen. 2003. Harvesting hope: the story of cesar chavez. Ill. by Yuyi Morales. San Diego: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 9780152014377
2. Plot Summary
In this narrative biography, Krull tells the life story of Cesar Chavez. Beginning with his childhood in Yuma, Arizona, the books details the harsh and unfair conditions forced upon Mexican migrant farm workers in California that led to Chavez forming the National Farm Workers Association. The main focus of the book is the National Farm Workers Association's grape picking strike and march from Delano to the capitol in Sacramento to bring attention to the cause of fair treatment and laws concerning farm workers. The march was successful, and officials from one grape company recognized the National Farm Workers Association and agreed to fair treatment and better pay. An author's note at the end of the book explains more about Chavez's long life of nonviolent protests, rallies, and hunger strikes in support of better conditions, treatment, and fair pay for farm workers.
3. Analysis
The beginning of the book paints a lovely picture of a pleasant childhood for Chavez with a huge family support system, which makes the scene when the family has to move to California and endure substandard housing and work conditions all the more heartbreaking to the reader. Krull writes with alluring, almost poetic imagery of Chavez's childhood in Arizona: "The eighty acres of their ranch were an island in the shimmering Arizona desert, and the starry skies were all their own." Chavez's misery can be felt by the reader in the scene where Chavez is punished at school for speaking Spanish and forced to wear a sign that says, "I am a clown. I speak Spanish." Morales does a magnificent job of illustrating the emotions and feeling of the characters in the story. Her mix of acrylic paint, handmade stamps, and computer-created cutouts are filled with vibrant colors and sprawling landscapes of farm land. The folk art appearance gives the illustrations a nice link to the subject matter.
While this book could be used as a relevant addition to any collection about Cesar Chavez's life, it really only focuses on his childhood and the march to Sacramento. This should not be used as the sole piece of information in exploring Chavez's life's work and accomplishments. Although, the author's note at the end does satisfactorily explain more about Chavez's work and legacy. In addition, the primary target audience for this book is, of course, children, and I think there is much that they can take from this book about Chavez.
One thing I noticed was the absence of a bibliography. While it is obvious Krull did much research on Chavez's life, I was curious about the dialogue included in the book. Are there really recorded accounts of what people actually said? It makes one wonder.
Overall, this book is beautifully written and could be useful in introducing Cesar Chavez as a historical figure to elementary students.
4. Review Excerpts
Kirkus Reviews - "Krull and Morales introduce a long-neglected figure from recent history to a new audience in an informative, eye-catching manner. A notable achievement."
School Library Journal - "...beautifully rendered earth-toned illustrations flow out from behind the words and onto the facing page. A fine addition to any collection."
Publishers Weekly - "Krull selects details that the target audience will readily understand."
"The visual statement is as powerful as the story."
5. Connections
*This book should definitely be included as a read aloud on Cesar Chavez Day for elementary school students. Cesar Chavez Day is celebrated on March 31 in honor of Chavez's birthday.
*Students can find out more about the holiday and the struggle to make it a national holiday on this site http://www.cesarchavezholiday.org/
*Students can learn more about the author at http://kathleenkrull.com/
and more about the illustrator at http://yuyimorales.com/ .
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