Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez

The inspiring life-story of Cesar Chavez, the founder of the United Farm Workers - the first organization to fight for the rights of America's underpaid and mistreated migrant farm laborers - is told in Kathleen Krull's wonderful picture-book, Harvesting Hope. From his early childhood on his family's Arizona ranch, lost when drought and depression forced them to sell, to his days as a young migrant worker in the California fields, Krull's narrative follows Chavez as he slowly developed from a shy young boy into the labor leader who would force agribusiness to treat its workers like human beings.

Chavez's devotion to peaceful methods, despite the violence meted out by his enemies; the three-thousand mile walk to Sacramento he organized show more (the longest protest march in U.S. history); and the periodic hunger strikes in which he participated (an activity which would eventually kill him), are all covered. Krull's engaging narrative is greatly enhanced by Yuyi Morales' gorgeous artwork, created with acrylic paint, stamps, and computer cutouts. Her colors are vibrant and appealing, her figures stylized but expressive, making Harvesting Hope both a visual and a textual treat. Highly recommended! show less

I enjoyed Kathleen Krull’s “ Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez”. The illustrations were powerful, the language was very descriptive, and the story’s plot was well organized. Throughout the story Yuyi Moralez utilizes powerful images that are appropriate to the mood of the characters in the story. Moralez captures the anguish of Chavez and his family as they worked long hard hours harvesting fruit, as well as the hardwork, and success of Chavez as he led the fight against farmworker inequality. The images greatly enhance the story and allow the reader to get a good sense of what life looked like during this period. Krull uses descriptive language to describe the living conditions Chavez and his family endured while show more trying to survive as migrant workers by saying “ when the Chavez family arrived at the first of their homes in California, they found a battered old shed. Its doors were missing and garbage covered the dirt floor. Cold, damp air seeped into their bedding and clothes. They shared water and outdoor toilets with a dozen other families, and overcrowding made everything filthy… Meals were sometimes made of dandelion greens gathered along the road”. This description allows the reader to get a sense of how unbearable their living circumstance were. Even though they worked long grueling hours in the sun they were subject to foul housing and did not make enough to sustain their empty bellies. Throughout the story Krull’s language brings the story of Cesar Chavez to life. With regards to the plot the story is well organized, as it chronologically tells of the life and works of Cesar Chavez as he fought for the rights of migrant workers. The overall message in this story is that anyone is capable of making a difference in this world regardless of where you come from. This story also highlights that “you can win without violence” and that “in victory there must be humility”. show less

Krull does marvelous work with non-fiction, as this is yet another book by her that I recommend. The story of Cesar Chavez is told in clear language that would be easily understood by children of all ages. Cesar begins as a migrant worker who travels with his family to places in order to find field work. He begins to notice the disparities in the treatment of the workers. Then, he organizes protests and speeches, ultimately becoming the figurehead for Latino rights in the United States. Bright, relevant illustrations accompany the text. Kathleen Krull tells Chavez’s story with aplomb, leaving the reader to experience his emotions of defeat and then triumph.

I find it especially fascinating how Cesar's Hispanic identity is integrated throughout the entire book; not only are a few choice Spanish phrases peppered in throughout the text, but his Mexican heritage is reflected in the compelling and vivid illustrations from Yuyi Morales that imitate the murals of some of Mexico’s most famous painters. As a reader flips through the pages, they might notice that Cesar is never depicted alone; either his family, friends, or followers are featured in the background supporting him throughout his fight for the rights of Hispanic farm workers. There is a great deal of factual biographical information in this book, but what really shook me were the detailed descriptions of living in poverty: eating show more weeds off the side of the road, sharing a single bathroom with multiple families, and performing back-breaking farm work for thirty cents per day as a child. There is no sugarcoating in this book, and this in combination with the complexity of concepts like collective bargaining and labor strikes make this book more suitable for older, middle-school aged children. show less

Harvesting Hope is a biography of Cesar Chavez. The book begins by discussing Cesar’s early childhood in Arizona where he was surrounded by family on their 80 acre farm. His family was eventually forced to sell the farm due to a drought that made farming the land impossible. It was at this time that Cesar and his family were forced to become migrant workers. The book discusses the deplorable conditions for migrant workers and goes on to tell how Cesar eventually makes it his mission to fight for better working conditions. This is a story of courage to stand up for what is right. The book does mention that Cesar can be seen as controversial in the author's notes. The work of Philip Vera Cruz who helped lead the grape strike is not show more mentioned, nor is his opposition to undocumented workers. It is a children’s book and simply highlights the positives of the work he did. Yuri Morales was awarded the Pura Belpre Honor for her warm and colorful illustrations. show less

[b:Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez|640476|Harvesting Hope The Story of Cesar Chavez|Kathleen Krull|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1272843078s/640476.jpg|626671] is one of the most informative and moving non-fiction picture books I have ever read. While I had heard of Cesar Chavez before reading this book, I knew next to nothing about either his life or "La Causa." This might be primarily because I am a resident of Canada, but when one considers the fact that so much of the produce in Canadian grocery stores is not grown in Canada, but in the United States and other areas, the living and working conditions of farm labourers everywhere should be of prime importance, should be of global significance.

I was very much amazed that show more a non-fiction picture book could have such an engaging, enthralling and informative narrative, combined with illustrations both luminous and evocative. This book is truly a treasure and represents not only a wonderfully moving story, but also a valuable teaching tool, as it shows not only the life, struggles and contributions of Cesar Chavez, but also the living/working conditions of migrant farm workers in general.

However, for me, the most important message of [b:Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez|640476|Harvesting Hope The Story of Cesar Chavez|Kathleen Krull|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1272843078s/640476.jpg|626671] is the book's description and promotion of non-violent confrontation and protest. The book clearly shows how civil courage and a refusal to embrace violence often has a much more positive and long-lasting impact than violent confrontations or violent reactions. Because Chavez and his fellow farm workers engaged in a non-violent strike, the important message about the often slave-like living and working conditions of many farm labourers reached a much wider and sympathetic audience, and received much more support from the American public than any violence, any vandalism could have ever achieved. This is not only an important general message, it is also one that needs to be promoted both in the classroom and in the home. Namely, that it is both a civic and moral duty to speak out against and confront racism, bigotry, and all forms of social injustice, but to do this without resorting to violence, to encourage and embrace non-violent criticism and protest. show less

When Cesar Chavez led a 340-mile peaceful protest march through California, he ignited a cause and improved the lives of thousands of migrant farmworkers. But Cesar wasn't always a leader. As a boy, he was shy and teased at school. His family slaved in the fields for barely enough money to survive. Cesar knew things had to change, and he thought that—maybe—he could help change them. So he took charge. He spoke up. And an entire country listened.