Antonio's Card/ La Tarjeta de Antonio by Rigoberto Gonzalez

Gonzalez, Rigoberto. 2005. Antonio's Card/ La Tarjeta de Antonio. Illus. by Cecilia Concepcion Alvarez. San Francisco: Children's Book Press. ISBN 0892392045.

Summary
Every day Leslie picks Antonio up from school. Leslie is his mother's partner. Leslie is a painter and very tall, with short hair. When other children at school make fun of Leslie for being tall and paint splattered, Antonio is not sure how to respond. For mother's day, Antonio makes a card for his mother and Leslie. When he discovers the cards are going to be put on display, it makes Antonio worry about what the other kids will say.

Analysis
This book is very well done. Antonio's embarrassment when the other kids make fun of Leslie is totally believable. When he is making the card for his mother and Leslie at school, he does so with love and affection which reflects the love his mother and Leslie have for him. When Leslie picks him up from school they read together and Antonio sits in Leslie's lap. Even though his family is not traditional, Antonio is well cared for. I especially like the part when Antonio confides in his mother that the other children made fun of Leslie. His mother asks him, "And how does Leslie dress, Antonio? And how does Leslie walk? Antonio thinks about it carefully. "Like Leslie, I guess (Gonzalez 2005. p. 17)." His mother doesn't try to brush aside his feelings. When he tells his mother that he is nervous about explaining who Leslie is to the other children, Antonio's mother tells him that he is old enough to decide what he wants to say. When Antonio visits Leslie's studio and she shows him the picture of the three of them she painted for a mother's day gift, Antonio understands that he is lucky to have a family that loves him. There is no political agenda in this book.

The illustration in this book are very good. The characters are portrayed realistically and non-stereotypically. Leslie has short hair, wears overalls and appears slightly masculine, but not overly so. Antonio's mother looks more feminine but both women look like everyone else. The artist does an excellent job of presenting the characters in a non-judgmental way. I recommend this book because it really shows that even though not all families are alike, they are still valuable.

This is a bilingual book, written in English and Spanish. Antonio's Card was a finalist for a Lambda Award in 2005.

Connections
This book could be used to learn about different kinds of families.
This book could be used by a counselor to teach acceptance.
This book could be part of a mother's day display or a mother's day celebration.

Review Excerpts
According to Kirkus Reviews, "As he begins to be ashamed of Leslie, he learns anew that all people and families are different, but united by love, when Leslie shows him the painting she has created for Mother's Day: the three of them picnicking and reading under a tree. While homosexual partners are the subtext of the story, the focus is not sexuality but individual difference."

School Library Journal says, "Still, even the negative peer pressure cannot keep him from drawing a lovely card for Mother's Day, a card for both of his mothers. When his teacher announces that the cards will be displayed in the lunchroom, the child becomes afraid all over again. It takes sharing a love of art and of family with Leslie for Antonio to feel ready to claim his family publicly."

Works Cited
2005. "Antonio's Card: La Tarjeta de Antonio." Kirkus Reviews 73, no. 6: 352-352. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed August 6, 2009.

Gonzalez, Rigoberto. 2005. Antonio's Card/ La Tarjeta de Antonio. Illus. by Cecilia Concepcion Alvarez. San Francisco: Children's Book Press.

Welton, Ann, Trevelyn E. Jones, Luann Toth, Marlene Charnizon, Daryl Grabarek, and Dale Raben. 2005. "Antonio's Card/La tarjeta de Antonio." School Library Journal 51, no. 5: 118-118. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed August 6, 2009.

Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye

Nye, Naomi Shihab. 1997. Habibi. New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN 9780689825231.

Summary
Liyana lives in St. Louis with her parents and her brother. One day her father makes an announcement, the family is moving back to his country of birth, Palestine. Liyana and her brother don't speak Arabic and have never met their father's family. Once they arrive Liyana must learn how to live in a place that is totally different from where she grew up. There are no malls in sight, Liyana can no longer wear shorts and she must behave appropriately conservatively. Before arriving Liyana didn't know much about the Arab-Israeli conflict but with a refugee camp just down the road, she learns fast. While wandering around Jerusalem she meets and falls in love with a Israeli boy. Will her parents and family be able to accept their relationship?

Analysis
This book is very well written. Naomi Shihab Nye is a poet and her prose is lyrical. Each chapter has a title and a subtitle. For example a chapter in the middle of the book is called "Donkey by the Road" and the subtitle is "Emily Dickinson never had to move across the sea." The chapters and subtitles reflect the character of Liyana because she is a writer. Her character is well written and the adjustment to a new country seems genuine. Her brother, Rafik, is also realistic.

While I liked the story, I do think it was biased towards the Palestinian point of view. When Liyana and her family arrive at the airport they are profiled and pulled aside by the Israeli soldiers. The books says that people of other nationalities pass through easily but not them, implying that they are being unfairly targeted. It goes on to say that they don't refer to the country as Israel, but Palestine. "Maybe one reason their father wanted them to be quiet is that they had trouble calling this country "Israel" to begin with (Nye, 1997 p. 36)." The largest and closest international airport to Jerusalem is Ben Gurion and it is in Tel Aviv, which is most certainly in Israel.

Liyana meets Omer, an Israeli boy. I find the whole relationship of Omer and Liyana unrealistic.
Omer is Jewish but Liyana doesn't realize it until they go to the Israel Museum and she hears him speak Hebrew. When Liyana's mother comes to pick her up, somehow Liyana's mother knows he is not Palestinian after one brief meeting. And Omer is not religious. That seems completely contrived.

Since apparently Liyana has heard only bad things about the Jews of Israel she asks him, "...of course I know that the Jewish people have suffered so much themselves, but don't you think it should have made them more sensitive to the sufferings of others too? (Nye, 1997. p. 166)." Wow. That goes right along with the representations of the Jews in the book. The Israeli soldiers are presented as uncaring thugs while the Palestinians are suffering needlessly at their hands. The book makes it seem as if the soldiers go around committing atrocities leaving the Palestinians no choice but to retaliate. For example, when there is a bombing in the market place Liyana thinks, " Did people who committed acts of violence think their victims and their victims' relatives would just forget? (Nye, 1997. p. 235)."

While this book is beautifully written, I would not recommend teaching with it in isolation because of the bias. I would pair it with a book about the Holocaust or another book about Jewish history.

Connections
This book could be used to study the modern history of Israel, but it should paired with a book about the Holocaust like The Big Lie by Isabella Leitner.
This book could be used to discuss bias and points of view in stories.

Excerpts
Rosemary Knapp in Book Report magazine says, "The move is, naturally, a culture shock for Liyana, her younger brother, and her American-born mother. The history of Jerusalem with its cross-section of cultures, the conflicts between the Israelis and Palestinians, the grandmother and extended family living on the West Bank whom Liyana has never met--all these contribute to the great upheaval in her life."

In Horn Book Magazine Jennifer Brabander says, "The leisurely progression of the narrative matches the slow and stately pace of daily life in this ancient land, and the text's poetic turns of phrase accurately reflect Liyana's passion for words and language."

Works Cited
Brabander, Jennifer M. 1997. "Habibi." Horn Book Magazine 73, no. 6: 683-684. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed August 6, 2009.

Knapp, Rosemary. 1998. "Reviews: Fiction." Book Report 16, no. 5: 34. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed August 6, 2009.

Nye, Naomi Shihab. 1997. Habibi. New York: Simon Pulse.

Looking Out for Sarah by Glenna Lang

Lang, Glenna. 2001. Looking out for Sarah. Watertown, MA: Talewinds. ISBN 0881066478

Summary
Looking out for Sarah is the job of Perry, a guide dog. The story is told from the point of view of Perry as he guides Sarah through a day in her life. They go to the grocery store, ride a train, do a presentation at the library and go to a restaurant. This book is based on a real blind woman named Sarah and her guide dog, Perry.

Analysis
The very best thing about this book is that Sarah doesn't seem different from anyone else. The illustrations are realistic and Sarah looks very normal. The activities she does in a day are things that anyone would do, blind or not. She goes through her day just like everyone else. Also the book does not show Sarah getting treated any differently because she can't see. No one stares at her, or gives her funny looks. The shop keeper and the people on the train don't respond to her differently. I really liked that about the book.

The book is told from the dog's perspective and it is interesting how much he has to keep up with to guide Sarah safely. When she snaps his harness on, Perry knows it is time to work. He can't be distracted by food on the ground, noises, or other people. He has to keep Sarah safe.

When Sarah and Perry visit a school, Perry falls asleep and he dreams of the time he and Sarah walked from Boston to New York. In the author's note we find out that Perry and Sarah really did walk 300 miles to raise awareness about guide dogs. We also learn that Sarah and Perry enjoy many activities like swimming, sailing and camping.

In 2004 this book won a Schneider award in the young children book category.

Connections
This book can be used to teach children about blindness and guide dogs.
This book can be paired with My Pal Victor to show even if people have a disability, they can still participate in normal activities.

Review Excerpts
School Library Journal says, "There are bits of information about guide dogs throughout, such as the fact that they are allowed in restaurants and stores and that people should not pet and handle them while they are working. An interesting incident that only gets two sentences is the fact that Sarah and Perry once walked the 300 miles from Boston to New York to show "what a guide dog can do for a blind person."

Margaret Bush in Horn Book Magazine says, "The spare text and minimal detail in Lang's framed gouache paintings nicely convey the special personal/professional relationship between dog and owner. Perry is the focus throughout, from his cover portrait in working harness to his contented end-of-the-day sleep beneath Sarah's bed. Sarah's lack of sight is treated matter-of-factly with only the barest mention of her blindness until the author's short concluding note. Perry and Sarah's pleasant daily routine is punctuated with a flashback to a truly impressive accomplishment in which the two walked all the way from Boston to New York to demonstrate "what a guide dog can do for a person."

Works Cited
Bush, Margaret A. 2001. "Looking Out for Sarah." Horn Book Magazine 77, no. 5: 575-576. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed August 4, 2009.

Howell, Margaret C., Trevelyn E. Jones, Luann Toth, Marlene Charnizon, Daryl Grabarek, and Jeanne Larkins. 2001. "Looking Out for Sarah (Book Review)." School Library Journal 47, no. 9: 193. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed August 4, 2009.