1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
de la Pena, Matt. 2015. LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET. Ill. by Christian Robinson. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin group. ISBN 978-0-399-25774-2.
2. PLOT SUMMARY
What a beautiful story! This is a story of a grandmother and her grandson and their Sunday routine. After getting out of church, the two of them board the city bus. The bus is filled with an eclectic group of people. The grandmother, ‘Nana,’ challenges the observations and desires of her grandson by continually offering a different perspective. When CJ asks Nana ‘why’ and ‘how come’ questions, Nana gives him answers from a different perspective than his own.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
De La Pena makes a beautiful connection between faith and works. He gives the world an example of what our church-going should result in. Through Nana’s thoughtful and beautiful answers to CJ’s questions, Pena offers the reader a different lens to see the world through. Instead of lack of want, Nana points out the provision and blessing of their circumstances.
It is also a very different way to tell the story of doing good works in the world. Instead of the book centering on their community service, it is included as just another step in their Sunday afternoon routine. There isn’t an over-glorification or emphasis placed on the soup kitchen. It is presented simply and matter-of-factly. This allows there to be no distinction between the people on either side of the counter at the soup kitchen. This book does a beautiful job of presenting all people equal in the eyes of Nana and CJ.
This book is inspirational and refreshing.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Caldecott Honor Book
2016 Newbery Medal winner
Coretta Scott King Award
Booklist, February 1, 2015 “The celebratory warmth is irresistible, offering a picture of community that resonates with harmony and diversity.”
Horn Book starred review: “Nana has bottomless look-on-the-sunny-side answers, but she isn't dispensing bromides; the exquisitely composed collage illustrations showing a glamour-free urban setting forbid a glib reading. A quietly remarkable book.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*May pair well with Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo, ISBN 978-1-48986-242-6 or Dusk by Uri Shulevitz, ISBN 978-0-374-31903-8, stories centered around community, with grandparents as guides
*Other children’s picture books by Matt de la Pena: Milo Imagines the World, Love, and Carmela full of wishes, all of which received starred reviews from Horn Book and Kirkus.
.png)
No comments:
Post a Comment