Cesar Chavez: A Hero for Everyone (Milestone Books) [School & Library Binding]

Gary Soto (Author), Lori Lohstoeter (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2003 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Milestone Books

¡Viva la causa!

¡Viva César Chávez!

Up and down the San Joaquin Valley of California, and across the country, people chanted these words. Cesar Chavez, a migrant worker himself, was helping Mexican Americans work together for better wages, for better working conditions, for better lives.

No one thought they could win against the rich and powerful growers. But Cesar was out to prove them wrong -- and that he did.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. As the book opens, in 1962, Chavez is knocking on the doors of California farm workers and explaining how a union would help them. The narrative turns back to Chavez's Depression-era childhood and follows his life chronologically, focusing on his struggle to organize and carry out a nonviolent movement to improve the lot of farm workers. Soto clearly shows how Chavez's outlook and determination were rooted in his boyhood experiences with poverty, injustice, and prejudice against Mexican Americans; he was later influenced by his meetings with activists and his admiration for pacifists. Readers who know little of Chavez will come away with a basic understanding of who he was and what he accomplished. Like other books in the Milestone Books series, this is designed for easy reading, with fairly large type and well-spaced lines, though the vocabulary is not oversimplified. Black-and-white illustrations appear throughout the book, and a bibliography is appended. A good, short biography of Chavez to pair with Kathleen Krull's picture book Harvesting Hope [BKL Je 1 03]. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 83 pages
• Publisher: San Val (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613907183
• ISBN-13: 978-0613907187
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,427,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Fresno, California to Mexican American parents, Gary Soto learned the hard work ethic through his share of chores, including mowing lawns, picking grapes, painting house numbers on street curbs, and washing cars. His hard work paid off at California State University at Fresno, from which he graduated with an English degree, and later at the University of California at Irvine, where he earned a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.Gary Soto is an acclaimed poet, essayist, and fiction writer. The awards for this multi-talented author are many, ranging from the U.S. Award for International Poetry Forum in 1977 for his first published book of poetry, The Elements of San Joaquin, to a Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award in 1985 for Living Up the Street, his first published work of prose recollections. His short story collection Baseball in April, was named an American Library Association's Best Book for Young Adults. In 1993 Gary Soto received the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video for Pool Party, and in 1995 he was nominated for a National Book Award.His other credits include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the California Arts Council. Gary Soto is also one of the youngest poets to appear in the Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry. Several of his books have been translated into French, Spanish and Italian.Too Many Tamales was named a Booklist Books for Youth Editors' Choices of 1993. Hazel Rochman of Booklist said, "Gary Soto is an accomplished poet and adult writer, and his children's stories are widely popular. His first entry into the picture book genre is a joyful success."When he is not writing, Mr. Soto serves as a volunteer English teacher at his church. He also enjoys eating at new restaurants, which he does often with his wife, Carolyn, and their daughter Mariko. Other members of the Soto household include their two cats, Corky and Sharkie. The Soto family resides in Berkeley, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you're interested in learning about Cesar Chavez, read this book, February 25, 2007

By 

Collin (Sacramento) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cesar Chavez: A Hero for Everyone (Milestone Books) (Paperback)

Cesar Chavez and his family moved up and down California to work on farms. It was a hard life. Kids made fun of Cesar Chavez because he could only speak Spanish and wore raggedy clothes.

Because of what he saw as a kid, he wanted to help the farm workers. He wanted to make it so others did not have so suffer the way he and has family had.

I liked this book because it showed how one person can make a big difference. The one thing I did not like about this book is that it had some words that were hard to pronounce.

I would recommend this book to kids that are 10-14 years old. Although I had a hard time with some of the words, I think it is important for people to learn about Cesar Chavez.