First Day in Grapes by L. King Perez & illustrated by Robert Castilla

 First Day in Grapes: Perez, L King, Casilla, Robert: 9781620141908: Amazon.com: Books


First Day in Grapes by L. King Perez & illustrated by Robert Castilla 

  • Fiction 
  • Grade: 1st - 4th
  • Awards: Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Honor 2004,  the Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award Masterlist
Summary;

Chico is the third-grade son of migrant workers. He is anxious about going to school in a new place because he doesn't want to get picked on. Chico wants to be a race car driver when he grows up. Chico rode the bus with a glaring bus driver and some mean fourth-grade kids. Chico sits by a boy named John in his class who tells him that Ms. Andrews is the best teacher ever. Chico introduces himself to the class and struggles to find the words to do his writing assignment, but he did very well in math. The mean fourth-grade kids confront Chico at lunch and tease him, but Chico stands up for himself. Chico thanks the bus driver and decided that a new friend, great teacher, and the bus driver knowing his name makes for a pretty great day. 

Evaluation:

First Day in Grapes won the Pura Belpre illustrator award for its outstanding pictures. These illustrations do a great job depicting the details of Chico's family, the fields, the other students, and Chico's school. I would use this book in my classroom because it is at the second-grade reading level and the pictures complement the text well. This book has good lessons about the importance of education, being courageous and standing up to bullies without violence, and being kind to one another. First Day in Grapes could be used when teaching a unit on language arts comprehension and cultural diversity. This book teaches about how some students are children of migrant workers and may move schools often, so everyone should be welcoming to new students. In addition, this book can help students learn to make inferences before the text and evaluate details to determine key ideas. 

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