Sarah WarrenReseñas

First sentence: You bang and bash. Ta-tum! tum! tum! The trash goes crash! pa-pum! pum! pum! You turn the world into a drum. You turn the world into a drum. The muffin tin says plink! plink! plink! The doggy dish says tink! tink! tink!

A young toddler makes a drum out of everything--literally. The book is written in rhyme and has a certain amount of rhythm to it. Mind you, it will never take the place of Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb (the most perfectly perfect book ever). But it was an enjoyable read for me. The narration definitely worked for me. Lots of onomatopoeia throughout. Plenty of repetition--which is thematically appropriate when talking about beats and rhythm. I didn't love the art, however, art is the most subjective thing about picture books.

I personally think this would be a good board book.

https://jbrary.com/2023-favourite-storytime-picture-books/

"You bang and bash....You turn the world into a drum." This rhyming book has plenty of pleasing sound effects, and celebrates (mostly) a noise-loving kid, but it's firmly from the parents' point of view. Perhaps best shared one-on-one.

I love the way this biography captures her strength.

Goodreads Review:
Tells the story of labor leader, Dolores Huerta

The reader learns tips on how to become successful and a little bit of information about Beyonce's life in this sparse biography. The text flows in such a way that this book will work well as a read aloud to a group for grades 1-4. The cover is gorgeous, shiny and fun as are the illustrations. However, if a reader is looking for extensive information on Beyonce, another source should be chosen.

In an interesting approach to understanding American heros, Sarah Warren starts each page with a word identifying some of the roles that Dolores Huerta plays. She is a teacher, a mother, a detective, an organizer, a storyteller, etc. This is an effective way to introduce how much she was responsible for as a human rights organizer, campaigning for migrant workers, but not a fluent means to tell her story. It gave me a disjointed sense and didn't allow for a flowing narrative.

That being said, the battles that Dolores Huerta raged, her means of addressing working conditions, and the sacrifices she made to help her community are vital reading. This would be a good book for discussing workers, the role that women play in influencing the tide of history, or even the role of a teacher in society. Her original interest in the children in her class having what they needed to learn blossomed into a national struggle for people having the rights they are guaranteed. It's a lot to articulate, but I would be curious to read other biographies without the title transitions.

Robert Casilla has beautifully illustrated scenes of the classroom and Dolores Huerta galvanizing workers, politicians, as well as consumers. They're detailed images with expressive faces and cleverly weighted postures. I think they add immensely to the telling.

Reading about Dolores Huerta, a hero for her people, is a teacher first. She becomes a community activist around unfair labor practices that had a huge impact on the children in her classroom. Its an easy read for students and an opportunity to discuss human rights, migrant farms, and others who fight for change in the US.

Dolores Huerta fights for farmworkers rights. With peaceful demonstrations she makes her voice heard. From her hard work and dedication Huerta is able to ensure that farmworkers are provided with safe working conditions and safe work place and a raise in wages.

LOVE this book. Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers is well written and kid-friendly.

The approach it takes is to encompass Dolores' life work under the umbrella of short descriptors. The author, for example, gives children a list of identifying traits that describe Dolores.

Dolores is...
a detective
a friend
a warrior
an organizer
a storyteller
a peacemaker
a mother
a woman
a fortuneteller
a hunter
a teacher.

Sarah Warren then goes on to explain what she means by each of these.

Dolores is a peacemaker.
She doesn't use violence to make the bosses pay attention; she grabs them with her words. She encourages the workers to use their voices, too, until the bosses learn how to be fair.

**(note: the extra comma before the word 'too' is in the book, not my typo)

And this approach, I think, makes it easy to absorb the points the author is trying to make.

I have a blog where I pull together reading lists of books for teachers and homeschoolers to use when discussing various topics. And Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers is one book I plan to emphasize. Written at the 3rd Grade level, it's a book that clearly explains why and how Dolores and others formed a union. And what their goals were.

I think this book would be an excellent choice for book reports, or discussions about LABOR DAY, Hispanic Heritage Month, and about the role of women in US history.

Robert Casilla's beautiful illustrations are icing on the cake.

Enjoy.

Read for Lesson 6