Quality Rating: 5 out of 5
"'Abuela, Mango, and I practice new words every day. Mi español gets faster and Abuela and Mango learn the days of the week, all the months of the year, and the names of coins." (Medina 23)
Summary:
Mia's Abuela moved into her parent's house. She quickly learns that Abuela can't read or speak English because she never learned. Mia is determined to help Abuela learn English so they can share stories together. One day, Mia and her mother are walking past a pet shop and notice a parrot in the window. Perfect! With the help of Abuela's new pet, Mango, Abuela learns English and Mia learns some Spanish. Thanks to Mango, Mia and Abuela can share their stories with one another.
Stereotypes/biases challenged in the text:
1. If an older individual's language is not English, you can't teach them English.
Just because someone didn't grow up knowing or learning English (or any other non-native language) doesn't mean they can't learn. The phrase "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" comes to mind. Age may make it more difficult to learn and retain a new language, but it isn't the reason any person should give up trying to learn. Medina made a point to show the progress Abuela made throughout the book. I am a strong believer that you learn something new every day-- so at what age do we expect that learning to stop?
2. Girls can't have both an artistic and athletic side.
Gender roles are being put into play with this thought. Within the patriarchal society we live in, women are often expected to participate in more "feminine" activities such as art, and men are often expected to participate in more "masculine" activities such as athletics. There is nothing wrong with liking stereotypically male or female activities. We live in a society in which we are conditioned to conform with gendered stereotypes and roles daily. Mia wants to tell her Abuela about how fast at running she is compared to the boys in the novel-- competitive and athletic traits are usually associated with men. She also doesn't hesitate to talk about her art and help her Abuela cook dinner in the novel-- creative and the ability to cook are traits usually associated with women. Medina makes a point to include both Mia's speed and artistic abilities to show that girls can do whatever they like and are interested in, no matter the stereotypes around gender for those activities.
Misconceptions I realized I was carrying:
1. All communities are accepting of immigrants.
Coming from a not-so-diverse community, I never witnessed any discrimination of immigrants. However, the reality of the matter is that not all communities openly accept immigrants. Knowing this, I still hope that most communities would behave like the community in this picture book; they welcomed Abeula and enjoyed talking with her even with her limited knowledge of the English language, which strengthened her ability to learn English in the long-run. I can only hope that in the future I will be able to replace "most" with "all" as we further educate our students about the acceptance and equality of others.
Rachel,
I feel like I got a really good understanding of this book from your summary and analysis. I love how you went into depth explaining the stereotypes and biases that relate to this book. In particular, I can relate to the stereotype of growing up being taught that certain activities are too masculine for a girl. For example, while certain sports are seen as feminine such as dancing, other sports are seen as masculine such as boxing or football. Though I think society has come a long way in addressing gender stereotypes, I wish it was more accepting of activities being enjoyed by both girls and boys. As I previously mentioned, dance is seen as a feminine activity. I…
Hi Rachel!
I loved how you addressed the different stereotypes and bias's that are addressed within this story! I think that it is incredibly important for all people, especially children, to know that they it is alright if they do not follow and stick to the traditional gender roles of boys and girls. Way to often children are taught that they must act and dress like a boy if they are a boy, and to act and dress like a girl if you are a girl, whether that is how they want to act and dress or not. I also loved how you addressed the importance of knowing that you can never be too old to learn new things, I…
Hi Rachel!
I think that this book seems really good, and that you did a good job of explaining the important topics that the book covers. I think that these types of books are super important in classrooms, and I like that your blog has lots of multicultural books. I completely agreed with you when you said that everyone can learn something, no matter how old they may be. I also grew up in a not-so-diverse town, so I completely understand what you are saying about the misconception you were carrying. Honestly, I think I had that misconception until not long ago as well. I think that it is super important in any school to teach books with different cultures.…
Hello Rachel!
I loved your take on this book! I think multicultural books are so important and this seems to be a great one! I definitely agree that no matter the age, a person can learn something. I am studying to be an elementary teacher working with Spanish in some way, and I think it is beneficial for people to start learning a second language young, but I agree that anyone can learn a language if they put the work in and practice it! I also like your comment on the gender roles that were faced in the book. I think it is so important to diminish those stereotypes of what "boys can or should do" and what "girls can…
Rachel,
I think you did a great job at informing readers about the important takeaways from this picture book. I can relate to what you wrote about being from a not so diverse community. I too hope that other communities would welcome other cultures just like Abuela and her family. Books like this are a necessity in classrooms because they can help children understand how diverse different cultures are. I really enjoy the point you made about the gender roles society has developed. Yes it is completely acceptable for a female to enjoy activities that are considered more feminine, but like Mia, it should be just as acceptable to enjoy an activity a male might seek out. Females can do…