Last Stop on Market Street (2015)

Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the city bus across town. CJ begins to wonder why they don't own a car like his friend. Why doesn't he have an iPod like the other boys on the bus? How come they live in the dirty part of town? Grandma helps him to look past all of this to see the beauty and fun in the world around them. ( )

Newbery Medal 2016. Both story and illustrations are outstanding. A young boy travels with his grandma on a bus to work in a soup kitchen. He learns to find beauty in many different things. ( )

“Last Stop on Market Street” is a children’s picture book written by author Matt de la Pena and illustrated by Christian Robinson. It was published in 2015 by Penguin Books and could be used with students of all ages and grades, but specifically with students grades K-3.This book is about a boy named CJ and his nana, who after Church on Sunday, start on their weekly journey across the city to help out at a soup kitchen (location is not revealed until the end). Along the way, we saw a multitude of personalities and were exposed to “nana’s” wisdom and thoughtfulness as she speaks with CJ and answers his many questions, such as why do they have to wait in the rain for the bus. I liked this book for many reasons -it celebrates diversity and covers themes like anti-materialism, poverty, charity, and being grateful -this book sends the message that we should appreciate all that we do have. I very much liked the fact that the main characters are African American and that the book incorporated African American English (AAE) in the dialogue because children should be able to relate to characters in books and there is a need to reduce the stigma around AAE and empower students who speak it. For example, CJ asks “how come we don’t got a car?” or “how come we always gotta go here after church”? I really enjoyed how CJ asks questions that many kids would be asking about their environment, the people they see, and why they do not have what others have and how his nana answers these questions and helps him see beauty all around. The images in this book are fantastic as they are colorful and show an urban setting with all kinds of people: people of all races with all different colors of hair, an old woman with curlers in her hair, a man covered in tattoos, a blind man, a businessman, a homeless man, and a man in a wheelchair. However, one thing I did not like about the book is that the language can be a bit “cheesy” such as “the rhythm lifted CJ out of the bus, out of the busy city” and think that some children may not be able to clearly understand the poetic language or enjoy it. ( )

Church is over and CJ has no choice but to go with his Nana. It is raining and he is complaining, but in the end learns a lesson. This book is awesome for teaching about the socioeconomic situations that students encounter in and out of school. CJ learns several lessons through out this entire book. Teachers can use this book to help students to learn the differences between people within their society. ( )

Last Stop on Market Street has great themes on friendship, community and beauty and appreciating what you have. ( )