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A review by gymnerdreader
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña
5.0
Annotated Bibliography Entry: Last Stop on Market Street b:y Matt de la Pena
Summary:
CJ is walking along with his grandmother and they are on their way to the soup kitchen where both CJ and his grandmother volunteer once a week. While walking CJ notices the various things that sets him a part from his friends. For example: his friends' parents have cars and can drive them places, while CJ and his grandmother do not have such luxuries and have to take the bus everywhere they go. While on the bus he encounters a diverse group of people and these people (and his grandmother) help him change his view of the world. CJ begins to realize the beauty all around him: his neighborhood, being able to hear live music (from the guy on the bus) and he begins to realize that maybe his life is not that bad after all. The bus lets them off on market street where CJ and his grandmother are excited to start volunteering at the soup kitchen and he is filled with joy when the familiar people smile at him in appreciation.
Personal Response:
Pretty powerful book with an important message. A message that is a must for people of all ages really. This book teaches kids to appreciate the beauty that is all around them in terms of where they live or even what they have in life. In regards to these messages I think it is important for children to learn that they do not need material items to be happy and that they can help make a difference in their community. Too often we measure are happiness in the items we have and we feel sorry for ourselves when we do not have all the material things we would like to have. We compare ourselves to our friends and feel deflated when they have more than us. This is habit that is not just common in children, it is common for all ages. The fact that this book was able to tackle such an issue is amazing and it is one of my favorite children's books for that reason.
Descriptions of illustrations:
The illustrations in this book are rather simplistic, there aren't a whole lot of details in terms of setting or even people. The characters in the story look like glorified stick figures almost, but I feel that it fits in with the story. I think the illustrations could be appealing for young children because it is relatable. The pictures look like something little kids would be able to draw. It is very simplistic and I could see children being able to almost duplicate them, which I think is great because children need something to relate to when they read a book.
Classroom Connections:
This book is a perfect read aloud book to get children thinking about a variety of important topics, such as helping out in their community, diversity, being thankful in what you have and seeing the beauty in the things around you. Teachers could easily use this book to fuel conversations about their own communities and the diversity they see all around them. Teachers could use this book for journal writing where students could write about their communities, their families and how they can help make change in their own neighborhoods. Teachers could also use this book to discuss ways that students could become agents of change in their own neighborhoods and the things they could do to make their communities a better place to live in. Students could also draw (or paint) the neighborhoods they live in and use adjectives to describe it. Students can then write about how they can make their neighborhoods better and the types of things they can do to help out the people that live in their communities. I think this book is a perfect way for students to see that they can make a difference in their communities and can easily appreciate the beauty that is all around them!
Summary:
CJ is walking along with his grandmother and they are on their way to the soup kitchen where both CJ and his grandmother volunteer once a week. While walking CJ notices the various things that sets him a part from his friends. For example: his friends' parents have cars and can drive them places, while CJ and his grandmother do not have such luxuries and have to take the bus everywhere they go. While on the bus he encounters a diverse group of people and these people (and his grandmother) help him change his view of the world. CJ begins to realize the beauty all around him: his neighborhood, being able to hear live music (from the guy on the bus) and he begins to realize that maybe his life is not that bad after all. The bus lets them off on market street where CJ and his grandmother are excited to start volunteering at the soup kitchen and he is filled with joy when the familiar people smile at him in appreciation.
Personal Response:
Pretty powerful book with an important message. A message that is a must for people of all ages really. This book teaches kids to appreciate the beauty that is all around them in terms of where they live or even what they have in life. In regards to these messages I think it is important for children to learn that they do not need material items to be happy and that they can help make a difference in their community. Too often we measure are happiness in the items we have and we feel sorry for ourselves when we do not have all the material things we would like to have. We compare ourselves to our friends and feel deflated when they have more than us. This is habit that is not just common in children, it is common for all ages. The fact that this book was able to tackle such an issue is amazing and it is one of my favorite children's books for that reason.
Descriptions of illustrations:
The illustrations in this book are rather simplistic, there aren't a whole lot of details in terms of setting or even people. The characters in the story look like glorified stick figures almost, but I feel that it fits in with the story. I think the illustrations could be appealing for young children because it is relatable. The pictures look like something little kids would be able to draw. It is very simplistic and I could see children being able to almost duplicate them, which I think is great because children need something to relate to when they read a book.
Classroom Connections:
This book is a perfect read aloud book to get children thinking about a variety of important topics, such as helping out in their community, diversity, being thankful in what you have and seeing the beauty in the things around you. Teachers could easily use this book to fuel conversations about their own communities and the diversity they see all around them. Teachers could use this book for journal writing where students could write about their communities, their families and how they can help make change in their own neighborhoods. Teachers could also use this book to discuss ways that students could become agents of change in their own neighborhoods and the things they could do to make their communities a better place to live in. Students could also draw (or paint) the neighborhoods they live in and use adjectives to describe it. Students can then write about how they can make their neighborhoods better and the types of things they can do to help out the people that live in their communities. I think this book is a perfect way for students to see that they can make a difference in their communities and can easily appreciate the beauty that is all around them!