Diverse Perspective Children's Book

Esperanza Rising

Written by: Pam Munoz Ryan

Illustrated by: Joe Cepeda

Page count: 259 

Published in 2000 by Scholastic Inc.

Genre: Diverse Perspectives

Plot Summary

Esperanza Rising is about a Mexican girl and how her family loses all of their riches in Mexico. Her and her family move to California which is a big culture shock for Esperanza. They have to leave her Abuela (grandmother) in Mexico until they can get someone to come for her. Pam Ryan portrays Esperanza culture and life poetically through rhyming to engage children into the story. There are several world events mentioned in the book that would be very exciting for children to learn about through what feels like pleasure reading! There are several Spanish words readers will be introduced to as well as Spanish customs that readers will learn about. Through Ryan's vivid descriptions of Esperanza's life, the reader will gain a better understanding the Spanish language and culture.

Illustrations

Joe Cepeda's illustrations are very captivating. Every picture he illustrates is moving and captures the eye of any child. He uses Japan paint for most of his illustrations. He explained how he never works with the author as he is illustrating a book because he says the illustrator needs to connect with the book and its story, not the author. He mostly uses big brushes because he says the Japan paint is too harsh on smaller brushes. He illustrations are always very complimentary to the mood of the story. His illustrations are almost so lifelike that it feels more like watching a movie than reading a book.

Content Area and Grade

This book is definitely for more mature children. This book could be read in anywhere from grades 4-8. This book could be used for an English lesson on metaphors. There are several metaphors throughout this book. It could also be used to teach or refresh on rhyming since there is a rhythmic pattern throughout the whole book. This could also be tied to a writing segment. They could be asked to make a journal entry writing from a different perspective than their own or even writing a short narrative based on a personal experience.