César Chávez

Gr 1—3—César Chávez and his fight for the rights of Hispanic agricultural workers is an inspirational story about unity, justice, and perseverance. Richard Griswold del Castillo's bilingual picture-book biography (Pinata Books, 2002) briefly examines the life of this Mexican-American leader, including his first encounters with racism and his activism as an adult, with an emphasis on the use of nonviolent methods to achieve his aims of organizing the United Farm Workers. Winner of a Carter G. Woodson Book Award, the text is provided in both Spanish and English with crisp, colorful illustrations by Anthony Accardo. The CD has three tracks—Spanish/English narration with page-turn signals, English narration (no page-turn signals), and Spanish narration (no page-turn signals). Brian Armador reads the compelling text clearly and with power. Original music with a Latin flavor accompanies the production. This would make an excellent listening center and provides important insights into Hispanic civil rights.—Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA