Author / Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh
Genre: Non-Fiction (Biographical / Informational)
Major Awards: Pura Belpré Award
Age Group: 1st - 5th
Summary: Sylvia Mendez, a young Mexican girl, was told she could not go to a normal public school and had to go to "the Mexican school" instead. Her parents, especially her father, was not very fond of that idea. As a result, he tried everything he could in his power in attempts that his daughter could get to go to public school. He tried everything from speaking with the superintendent of the school, county superintendent, and even the school board to persuade them and get information as to why his daughter could not go to the same school other students went to, but he got the same response every time. He, then, created a Parents' Association of Mexican American Children, trying to collect signatures from other families. Despite his efforts, he could not get a singly one because the families he went to, they worked for white families. One day, a random person who overheard him getting signatures from other families, helped the father by telling him about a lawyer, David Marcus. With the help of David, they filed a lawsuit against the school. However, it took almost an entire year for the judge to make a decision. It ended up being in the favor of Sylvia and her family, yet that happiness didn't last long until the school appealed the case so they had to go through another trial.
Major Awards: Pura Belpré Award
Age Group: 1st - 5th
Summary: Sylvia Mendez, a young Mexican girl, was told she could not go to a normal public school and had to go to "the Mexican school" instead. Her parents, especially her father, was not very fond of that idea. As a result, he tried everything he could in his power in attempts that his daughter could get to go to public school. He tried everything from speaking with the superintendent of the school, county superintendent, and even the school board to persuade them and get information as to why his daughter could not go to the same school other students went to, but he got the same response every time. He, then, created a Parents' Association of Mexican American Children, trying to collect signatures from other families. Despite his efforts, he could not get a singly one because the families he went to, they worked for white families. One day, a random person who overheard him getting signatures from other families, helped the father by telling him about a lawyer, David Marcus. With the help of David, they filed a lawsuit against the school. However, it took almost an entire year for the judge to make a decision. It ended up being in the favor of Sylvia and her family, yet that happiness didn't last long until the school appealed the case so they had to go through another trial.
In the second trial they won again because other associations of people from different backgrounds sent letters to the judge to help the case of Mr. Mendez. In the end there was a law passed that all children in California were allowed to go to school together no matter their race or ethnicity.
Evaluation & Comments: I would like to use this book in my classroom one day to show the students how schools have changed to what it is today. It would open their eyes to where schools were once segregated and races were once seen lesser than compared to white people. I would use this book to teach about what happened back in the 1900s and have the class compare and contrast what they notice. I think that the illustrations drawn in the book really help with the storyline and make it easier to understand.
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