Archive for Diversity

Last Stop on Market Street

Written by Matt de la Peña
Illustrated by Christian Robinson

Riding the bus with Nana after church on Sunday is the backdrop of this poetic story which won the 2016 Newbery AND a Caldecott honor. The story is fresh and timely. It is realistic for all children whether they live in the city or not.  The little boy doesn’t want to go again, and complains about many little things we all fuss about when we are in a bad mood. Nana turns all the negatives into positives. She gently shows him how to see things differently even as a blind musician on the bus tells him to close his eyes in order to see the music.

Unlike so many books for young children that wrap everything up at the end, this book ends with a bright new beginning. He is glad they came again to the last stop on Market Street. The readers will be glad, also.

The exquisite art work is reminiscent of the cut paper art of Ezra Jack Keats, as are the bright colors and realistic neighborhoods. This book is definitely a winner and a must have for every school and public library.

Standards in the common core will be fulfilled in the areas of literacy and geography, but art teachers will want to tap into these pages for sample illustrations and/or project ideas, too.

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  • Last Stop on Market StreetTitle: Last Stop on Market Street
  • Author: Matt de la Peña
  • Illustrator: Christian Robinson
  • Publisher: G. P. Putnam & Sons, 2015
  • Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
  • Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
  • ISBN: 978-0399257742
  • Genre: Picture Book
  • Grade level: K to 2

Fine Life for a Country Mouse

Written and illustrated by Susan Detwiler

Really? Another Aesop re-telling? Yes, and it’s worth every second spent with it. The illustrations are beautiful and memorable. The text is simple, yet informative. Tillie is a country mouse who lives in a tree trunk and makes everything she needs. After her city cousin, Oliver, visits, Tillie decides to check out the posh world he describes to her. Of course, Tillie decides the country life is for her, while Oliver sticks with the city life. The author is careful not to anthropomorphize the characters too much. The food, furniture, and other items the mice use would actually be available to mice. The clothing maybe not as much. But the mouse paws look like mouse paws. Details in the illustrations add to the modern feel of this ancient tale. A modern car nearly runs over the mice. The trucks, a train, the lay out of the street, and even the straight rows of corn are obviously modern.

This book is part of Penguin’s “Core Concepts” program. First graders and up will have a chance to practice literacy skills. This would be a great read aloud. The illustrations are richly detailed and lend themselves to actively spotting the lady bug and looking for other sneaky details. In the meantime, the reader is learning to appreciate what they have and that others may want to live differently. Even within a family, not everyone has to want the same things.

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  • Fine LifeAuthor/Illustrator: Susan Detwiler
  • Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap/Penguin Random House Company, 2014
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
  • ISBN: 978-0-448-48154-8
  • Genre: Fable, Diversity, Family