A Day's Work

A grandson and his newly immigrated grandfather try to get him a day of work. His grandfather does not know english well and the grandson lies and says they can garden. The grandfather teaches his grandson that honesty is more important than finding work. It is written from an outside perspective and has some stereotypes in it. I would be careful as it does not authentically show the culture. It also paints the grandpa in a negative light and implies that he is inferior/not very smart.

This book is written about a little boy and his grandfather looking for work. They garden for a day and accidentally leave the weeds and rip out the plants after the little boy tells the employer they were great gardeners. This story shows us that honesty is important and so is doing the right thing.
The negative parts of this story is that the ending seems a little abrupt and somber. Another aspect is though it does display culture of the Latin community, the book seems a little stereotypical. There are a few Spanish words throughout, but it promotes stereotypes such as the food choices and the work. The author is white and there really isn't a narrator so the view seems not personal and a little distant. However, if you need a book show more about honesty, hard work, or admiration for grandparents this might be a great option. This story is for primary readers. show less

The situation, language, and images brought me back to San Diego, and prompted me to revisit the topic of illegal immigration and to discuss it with my son. Bunting portrays a completely realistic day for an immigrant who is most likely illegal, but maybe not. He's definitely paid under the table, hangs out waiting to be picked up, so most likely he IS. He's certainly exploited like an illegal immigrant. However, the message of the story is that honesty and integrity are more important than a day's pay; the abuelo actually says that one should never LIE to get work. But.... ?

Bunting is so good at bringing real-life, diverse issues into your home. I enjoyed the conversation about character and politics with my 10-year-old most of all.

This book is about a young boy and his grandfather, or Abuelo, trying to find work. They eventually find work with a man who needs them to garden for them, even though the young boy lies about the fact that his grandfather and him know how to garden. After they put the work in, the employer realizes that they had removed all of the good plants, instead of the weeds, inflicting anger in him. The young boys Abuelo gets angry with his grandson because he lied to their employer, but after the lesson is learned, forgivingness is earned, and no one holds anger for anyone anymore.
I believe that this book is meant for younger students, most likely children in grades 2nd-5th. This teaches about what immigrants have to experience in a new show more country, but it also teaches students to be understanding and empathetic towards people that don't speak the same language as you, or people who may not understand you due to the fact that they speak a different language. show less

This book would be good for primary readers. There are a few words in Spanish that young readers may find challenging but other than that, it is an easy read with a good message. I feel as though although this book teaches a valuable lesson, it gives into the stereotypes that Americans have about Latinos and we should be using book that are general if they are for lessons.

Author Eve Bunting and illustrator Ronald Himler work together to create 'A Day's Work.' The story takes place in California following a boy named Francisco and his grandfather. The two are standing on a sidewalk with other men, in the cold. They wait for an opportunity for someone to hire the shivering grandfather, Franciso's abuelo. Understanding the chances of someone hiring an thin old man he lied and told a guy looking for a gardener. Since his grandfather speaks no English, Francisco is there to help translate. A very realistic take on Mexican families seeking small jobs for money on the author's part. Francisco claims his abuelo to be an expert gardener. After taking a chance on them, their employer hires them to pull out all the show more weeds in the bank from the land he owns. Francisco and his abuelo work hard all day to find that they have not pulled out all the weeds, but the flowers! A sad, though slightly amusing addition to the story by Bunting. Franciso's abuelo needs no language to understand what their empliyer was angry about. Bunting uses this as an opportunity for Francisco to learn the hard way that lying to obtain something is not worth becoming a liar as the abuelo promise the employer they will BOTH return to replant the flowers and pull the weeds the next morning. Francisco will have to miss his L.A. Lakers game. But he learns from his grandfather that a day's work is only worth doing for the right reasons. The cold thin old man gains his employer's respect and would like to hire the honorable man for more work that he has skills in. Bunting's decision to focus on a struggling Mexican family leads to a very well told story. show less

A father and son are looking for work. Fransisco wants to help his immigrant grandpa find a job, so he lies about his abilities. They end up making a mistake in their work, but the grandpa insists on making it right. The man wants to hire him again because of his integrity.