For Readers Who Can Perform Miracles

Guest blog post by April Simon

I am rarely at a loss for words. In four years of sharing farmworker justice with children, I have never been faced with a question that I could not immediately answer, or quickly find information on. Presenting to a particular fourth-grade class this spring, I found myself in a unique position.

“Is there a book we can get for our class, so we can study more?”

There is no shortage of literature on migrant and agricultural workers in the United States. Much of this is geared toward adults and, at the risk of offending authors and researchers, often rather dry and pedantic. Not exactly kid-friendly.

With a handful of exceptions, books geared toward children focus on Cesar Chavez. While it is indisputable that the man and his work were of monumental importance to the movement, there is so much more to the story.

I explained this to the class, and made a few suggestions (my favorites, Amelia’s Road, by Linda Jacobs Altman and Gathering the Sun, by Alma Flor Ada). They were, unsurprisingly, not satisfied with that. Youth are interested in the now, what is happening today, and how they can get involved.

“Why don’t you write a book?”

This is where they stumped me. I had, in fact, often ruminated on writing a book to accompany the curriculums I developed for pre-K through sixth grades. Though there was clearly a need, there never seemed enough time, and I wondered if there was even a real interest. The fourth graders were telling me loud and clear that there is- and they wanted to know why I wasn’t doing anything about it.

At home that night, I couldn’t shake the idea. The seed they planted stuck hard. After years of going out and telling kids that they can go out and make a real difference in the world with whatever talents they possess- they had finally turned  the tables on me. It was my turn to act.

My degrees are in Child Development and Spanish, with a minor in English writing. My curriculum has been presented to every age group from three-year-olds through the aging Rotary Club set. Who better, I was forced to ask myself, to tackle this task?

“I don’t want to write for adults. I want to write for readers who can perform miracles. Only children perform miracles when they read.” —Astrid Lindgren

There will be two books. One, a picture book geared toward children aged seven and under. This is a day-in-the life story of a worker. The text comes from the account of a man I met a few years ago, and relates life in los campos to his experiences and family in Mexico. For this, I have asked Emily Drakage to collaborate/illustrate. Her experiences, particularly with farmworker youth, and her amazing artistic talent will give a depth and sincerity often lacking in literature for the very young.

The second will be for grades 2 through 6. It will include facts, activities, personal stories, and pose questions to the readers to help initiate conversations. There will be a glossary and resource list in the appendix, and possibly an updateable online component for the tech-savvy.

If you would like more information, or are interested in contributing to this project, please contact me (April Simon) at:  alsimoncds@gmail.com.