Cesar E. Chavez

Children's Literature

To escape poverty in Mexico, Chavez' grandfather immigrated with his family to Arizona where Cesar was born in 1927. The family moved around so much during his childhood that the children attended 65 different elementary schools and had trouble learning to speak English. Cesar quit school in the eighth grade because the Great Depression of the 1930s was causing much hardship everywhere. The Chavez family lost their farm and went to California to pick crops. After serving in the Navy during World War II, Cesar married and had eight children. In the 1950s and 1960s he worked with labor unions to improve wages and working conditions for agricultural employees. In 1965, as head of the United Farm Workers Union, he called for grape pickers to strike to call attention to their plight and for all Americans to boycott grapes. His birthday is a state holiday in California, and President Clinton awarded him the Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1994. The easy to read text is illustrated with full-page, black-and-white photographs. An index, reading list, time line, glossary, and Web sites are included. It is part of the "Equal Rights Leaders" series. 2003, Rourke,
— Patricia Dole

School Library Journal

Gr 2-5-In nine short pages of text, usually seven lines to a page, McLeese manages to provide substantial information on the childhoods, lives, and accomplishments of these important champions of people's rights. The photographs are excellent, showing fresh, serious young faces; proud family members; and care-worn, determined older men and women. In a few sentences and photos, the author provides enough historical background for uninformed readers to understand the events. Despite the limited vocabulary and simple sentences, readers are given a sense of the urgency, danger, and commitment involved in the work of these activists. The format lends easy access to information in many ways, such as highlighting important words for a glossary and providing a list of important dates at the end of each book. An index is included and the table of contents will provide an outline for student research. There is also a list for further reading and suggested Web sites. All of these aids are important for students to use and understand as they develop report-writing skills. The books will appeal to general readers who want quick information but they are especially valuable for reports.-Marlene Gawron, formerly at Orange County Library, Orlando, FL Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.