They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid's Poems

Book: They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid's Poems
Author / Illustrator: David Bowles

Genre: Poetry
Major Awards: Bluebonnet, Pura Belpré Honor
Age Group: 5th - 8th
Summary:

Güero is a twelve-year-old Mexican American who speaks both Spanish and English at home. People call him Güero because of his appearance of red hair, pale skin, and freckles. In spanish, Güero means any person with fair hair and skin. For fun, Güero likes to read, game, is a musician, and joins a squad of misfits called the Los Bobbys. They have a lot of fun together, talking about things like expanding the world. As a Mexican American border kid, Güero starts the 7th grade with his heart, smarts, family traditions, and his accordion. When he meets his English teacher, he feels that he is a person who knows how to make poetry fun and cool, one of his favorite things and something he knows how to do. 

Evaluation & Comments: I wouldn't necessarily use this book as a read aloud, but I would love to have it in my classroom library so those students who want to read it can during their free time. I chose this book for bluebonnet award because of the cover getting my attention. I didn't expect it to be poems instead of a narrative type book with some illustrations. I still enjoyed it, though. With this book, I could form book groups and have a couple discussion questions to have them talk about and write their answers to turn in or just discuss. Once they finish the book, I would ask what they thought about the book and any comments they would like to add before moving on to the next topic.