Customer Reviews

¡Si, Se Puede! / Yes, We Can!: Janitor Strike in L.A. (English and Spanish Edition)

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4 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

There are frighteningly few picture books out there that truly celebrate the contemporary working class. Oh, you'll find tons of them willing to talk if the stories take place in the past. But shine the spotlight on today's janitors, hotel workers, and Walmart employees and watch that number of books evaporate like mirages in the sun. Now find picture books in which the child's parents are business people. There are TONS of them (usually because they belong to the garden variety mommy-and-daddy-please-don't-go-to-work camp). For this reason and this reason alone, "Si, Se Puede", was filling a very great need. In discussing not only the Justice For Janitors Campaign of 2000 but also the need for strong unions in America today, the book is both informative and interesting. It joins such equally important unionization children's books as "Harvesting Hope" and "Bud Not Buddy". What makes it remarkable, however, is the fact that it's taking place today.

Carlitos loves his mother, but he feels bad for her. Every night she tucks him into bed, then trudges downtown to mop up the glass office buildings downtown. The job isn't bad, but Mama doesn't get paid much and can't afford to spend more time with her family. She even has to take on extra jobs on the week-ends. It isn't too surprising to Carlitos then when she informs him that she's going to join other janitors around town in a massive Los Angeles strike. The strike is well-coordinated and the people in the community are supportive. Little Carlitos wonders what he could possibly do to support his mother. The answer comes in the form of a painted sign reading, "I Love My Mama. She Is A Janitor!". This display of pride joins others and, in the end, the strikers win a living wage and Mama is available to take Carlitos to the park on week-ends. This hardly marks the end of Mama's new work, though. Hotel staff members need Mama's help with their own strike, so Carlitos grabs his sign and the two head off shouting a triumphant, "Si, se puede!".

There is an argument in children's literary theory that propaganda never makes a good children's book. Certainly this is sometimes true (books like, "Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed!" aren't exactly vying for artistic merit). Unfortunately, it all depends on what you think is "propaganda". Cynthia Zolotow's remarkable, "William's Doll" would probably fall under strict scrutiny. In the case of this particular book, I guess it all boils down to whether or not you consider unions a "hot topic" To me, they're just a necessity of life. And since they exist, it makes all the sense in the world to try to explain what they are to kids. It's true, I suppose, that author Diana Cohn has limited her scope a little. The story is about a single historical incident and the framing sequence involving Carlitos and his mother give an otherwise factual incident a human face. So this isn't exactly going to be nightly reading for every child you know. On the other hand, there are LOTS of children out there who can relate positively to this book. Children of hardworking blue-collar parents will instantly recognize the importance of the strike in this book. And those kids from middle to upper middle class fams will understand that for Carlitos, winning this strike means seeing more of his own mother. The book is even written in simultaneous English and Spanish on each page, further increasing its readership.

Flaws, you ask? Just one major one. Though illustrator Francisco Delgado received an MFA from the Yale School of Art in Painting, Drawing and Printmaking and has produced many beautiful works in his lifetime, he's fallen victim of a common problem in children's publishing. For reasons that continue to escape me, when commercial or practicing artists try their hand at picture books, they tend to dumb down their images. I have no idea why this is. The result, however, is that a painter like Delgado, who could create a book every bit as lovely as those illustrated by Ana Juan if he wanted to, instead gives the story a hokey comic strip feel. All sense of proportion and balance is thrown out the window. Carlitos' mother comes off as heavy-lidded and somewhat frightening while the story's children look like mildly miniaturized adults. All this combines to turn an otherwise great story into something amateurish and cheap. This is NOT to say that the book isn't worth reading. It's just unfortunate that instead of being a book where the reader is simultaneously lured into the story by both the words and the images, now the reader has to consciously fight against the grotesque illustrations and pay sole attention to the tale. Why Delgado chose to cheapen his art in this way, we may never know. I can only hope that perhaps he'll consent to redo some of these pictures if future printings demand it.

The book ends with a very interesting two-page essay written by author Luis J. Rodriguez. In this section we meet a woman very much like Carlitos' mother and a true-to-life hero. This portion of the book may be of interest to some older children wanting further information (whether for school reports or their own curiosity) on real-life union organizing. Otherwise it's probably going to go over little ones' heads and be a draw for parents instead.

In the end, "Si, Se Puede!", is a necessary addition to every library. Until we start getting more picture books about contemporary everyday heroes like the ones featured here, we're going to have to rely on the scant that manage to come out. Note, if you will, that "Si, Se Puede", was not published by some big-time New York publishing house. The El Paso company Cinco Puntos Press is responsible for this one, and a quick glance at their website will confirm that it's probably their most widely-read title yet. If, as a parent, you've any interest at all in giving your children some kind of an understanding about unions, the nickel and dimed amongst us, or positive modern-day heroes, look no further than this book. It's not perfect, but it's certainly a rewarding read.

I teach children who are 1st grade English Language learners. In class, we have been doing a social studies/literacy unit on César Chávez - focusing mostly on issues of "fairness" and working conditions.

When I introduced the book !Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can! to my class, they absolutely loved it. I read the story to them in English, and the language may have been a bit complex for some of my less English proficient students. However, we had built the necessary background, and they greatly enjoyed this book. They made endless connections both to César Chávez, and to their own lives and their own families' experiences. The students loved the colorful and descriptive illustrations. They loved that the main character's classroom had a poster of César Chávez in it.

From a teaching perspective, this is a great book to make the story of César Chávez and his fight for fair working conditions more accessible and relevant to urban/inner-city children. The children understood the main premise of César Chávez, but I believe that reading this book helped them to relate to it in more profound ways.

My students and I loved this book. I would recommend it to any teacher. (However, teachers of younger students or students who are just learning English will need to build the relevant background and vocabulary in order for the students to really take advantage of the messages in the story.)

Excellent book! My children and I both love it. Well written, especially since the topic is sometimes difficult to explain to young children. Illustrations are top-notch. An EXTREMELY necessary subject for children to learn about and understand.

"Si se puede" tells the universal story of parents who want their children to thrive, and of children who want their parents to be fulfilled as well. My 4-year-old daughter and I read it again and again because it's a heart-warming story of how precious this family bond is, and because we end up tackling larger issues as we talk about a family who struggles and wins.

Carlitos' mother works hard to support her family, but finds that hard work isn't enough. She needs to join with other workers to improve conditions for herself and the other moms and dads who are struggling as well.

The story comes full circle when the son she works to support ends up supporting her as well. It's surprising how well kids "get" issues like this, especially when they are told in the context of a loving mother/child relationship.

This book is good for learning about societal issues, but it's also a good old sweet read. It's a great way to round out our library of fuzzy animal books.

There are frighteningly few picture books out there that truly celebrate the contemporary working class. Oh, you'll find tons of them willing to talk if the stories take place in the past. But shine the spotlight on today's janitors, hotel workers, and Walmart employees and watch that number of books evaporate like mirages in the sun. Now find picture books in which the child's parents are business people. There are TONS of them (usually because they belong to the garden variety mommy-and-daddy-please-don't-go-to-work camp). For this reason and this reason alone, "Si, Se Puede", was filling a very great need. In discussing not only the Justice For Janitors Campaign of 2000 but also the need for strong unions in America today, the book is both informative and interesting. It joins such equally important unionization children's books as "Harvesting Hope" and "Bud Not Buddy". What makes it remarkable, however, is the fact that it's taking place today.

Carlitos loves his mother, but he feels bad for her. Every night she tucks him into bed, then trudges downtown to mop up the glass office buildings downtown. The job isn't bad, but Mama doesn't get paid much and can't afford to spend more time with her family. She even has to take on extra jobs on the week-ends. It isn't too surprising to Carlitos then when she informs him that she's going to join other janitors around town in a massive Los Angeles strike. The strike is well-coordinated and the people in the community are supportive. Little Carlitos wonders what he could possibly do to support his mother. The answer comes in the form of a painted sign reading, "I Love My Mama. She Is A Janitor!". This display of pride joins others and, in the end, the strikers win a living wage and Mama is available to take Carlitos to the park on week-ends. This hardly marks the end of Mama's new work, though. Hotel staff members need Mama's help with their own strike, so Carlitos grabs his sign and the two head off shouting a triumphant, "Si, se puede!".

There is an argument in children's literary theory that propaganda never makes a good children's book. Certainly this is sometimes true (books like, "Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed!" aren't exactly vying for artistic merit). Unfortunately, it all depends on what you think is "propaganda". Cynthia Zolotow's remarkable, "William's Doll" would probably fall under strict scrutiny. In the case of this particular book, I guess it all boils down to whether or not you consider unions a "hot topic" To me, they're just a necessity of life. And since they exist, it makes all the sense in the world to try to explain what they are to kids. It's true, I suppose, that author Diana Cohn has limited her scope a little. The story is about a single historical incident and the framing sequence involving Carlitos and his mother give an otherwise factual incident a human face. So this isn't exactly going to be nightly reading for every child you know. On the other hand, there are LOTS of children out there who can relate positively to this book. Children of hardworking blue-collar parents will instantly recognize the importance of the strike in this book. And those kids from middle to upper middle class fams will understand that for Carlitos, winning this strike means seeing more of his own mother. The book is even written in simultaneous English and Spanish on each page, further increasing its readership.

Flaws, you ask? Just one major one. Though illustrator Francisco Delgado received an MFA from the Yale School of Art in Painting, Drawing and Printmaking and has produced many beautiful works in his lifetime, he's fallen victim of a common problem in children's publishing. For reasons that continue to escape me, when commercial or practicing artists try their hand at picture books, they tend to dumb down their images. I have no idea why this is. The result, however, is that a painter like Delgado, who could create a book every bit as lovely as those illustrated by Ana Juan if he wanted to, instead gives the story a hokey comic strip feel. All sense of proportion and balance is thrown out the window. Carlitos' mother comes off as heavy-lidded and somewhat frightening while the story's children look like mildly miniaturized adults. All this combines to turn an otherwise great story into something amateurish and cheap. This is NOT to say that the book isn't worth reading. It's just unfortunate that instead of being a book where the reader is simultaneously lured into the story by both the words and the images, now the reader has to consciously fight against the grotesque illustrations and pay sole attention to the tale. Why Delgado chose to cheapen his art in this way, we may never know. I can only hope that perhaps he'll consent to redo some of these pictures if future printings demand it.

The book ends with a very interesting two-page essay written by author Luis J. Rodriguez. In this section we meet a woman very much like Carlitos' mother and a true-to-life hero. This portion of the book may be of interest to some older children wanting further information (whether for school reports or their own curiosity) on real-life union organizing. Otherwise it's probably going to go over little ones' heads and be a draw for parents instead.

In the end, "Si, Se Puede!", is a necessary addition to every library. Until we start getting more picture books about contemporary everyday heroes like the ones featured here, we're going to have to rely on the scant that manage to come out. Note, if you will, that "Si, Se Puede", was not published by some big-time New York publishing house. The El Paso company Cinco Puntos Press is responsible for this one, and a quick glance at their website will confirm that it's probably their most widely-read title yet. If, as a parent, you've any interest at all in giving your children some kind of an understanding about unions, the nickel and dimed amongst us, or positive modern-day heroes, look no further than this book. It's not perfect, but it's certainly a rewarding read.

Words cannot describe how ignorant this topic is. I could not believe it when I saw it in the bookstore. Why would parents want to encourage their children to side with unions? Educate your children, and they will not need a union to protect their job. Do not glorify this way of life if you want your child to succeed!