Poetry Book Form Your Name: Lizeth Reyes

Book Title: Yes, We Are Latinos! Author: Alma Flor Ada, F. Isabel Campoy
Publisher: Charlesbridge, 2013 Date: March 15, 2020

EVALUATE THE BOOK USING THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS

1. TYPE OF POETRY – Explain the type(s) of interesting poem(s) in the book (narrative,
lyric, humorous, free verse etc.) Explain with examples from the book.
Explain and give examples: The type of poems the book has are mostly narratives. Each poem is about
a student and their roots. They state where they come from and where they live. For example, the
first poem "My name is Juanita," Juanita talks about her life with her mother and brother in New
York. She says how much she misses Mexico and the stoned road she walked with other girls.
2. SUBJECT OF THE POEM(S) Explain the interesting topics and new perspectives the
poems share with the children. Provide 3 examples.
1. Each poem has a different background. The children either struggle with getting used to a new
language or migrating. Juanita's mother had to wake everybody up early to go to school and take the
bus so she can go to work.
2. Settling to a new place can be hard to handle. For example, Juanita didn't know how to
communicate with the teacher, but the teacher learned some Spanish to make Juanita feel
comfortable.
3. Migrating to a different place can cause factors as in changing how you look to fit in. For example,
"My name is Monica," Monica had to get her long braided hair cut so she can go to Texas with her
aunt.
3. LANGUAGE –Explain how the poems encourages children to play with words and
expand their imaginations. Provide 4 examples
1. The poems introduces to new words in Spanish to translate what the Mother of Juanita tells her.
2. Children that are bilingual can write a poem in their language and translate it in English that
describes what it is to be both. Juanita refers back to her Mixtec language and that it is a secret
language.
3. Reading these poems can help children expand their imagination and learn more about the Latino
celebrations from Mexico to El Salvador. They can research and write a poem about what it means to
be Latino.
4. At a young age, children think that Mexico is the foundation of Latinos, but they can expand their
knowledge to find out more about the Latino culture that is in Columbia or in Venezuela, or in other
countries. There are many poems related to a different situation or place that consider themselves as
Latino.
4. PERSONAL CONNECTIONS –Explain how the poems create an emotional response
for the child that encourages repeated readings. Explain with examples from the
poems.
Explain with examples: The stories narrate how they live their daily life in the United States, and
some students can relate to the topics the poems wrote. Each poem talks about a different child and
their background as to how they got here to America. Each story is different and has a unique
journey. For example, Juanita felt happy when she saw her teacher learning Spanish so she can make
Juanita feel comfortable around her surroundings. Growing up, new students came into my class, and
they didn't speak English. We all helped them learn new words day by day and continued talking in
Spanish if some of them knew.
5. ILLUSTRATION – visual elements, design, page layout, word placement, art and/or
 photography. Choose a 2-page spread and evaluate illustration with the following:
Visual elements: line, shape, texture, color: In the 2-page spread, line was used to separate the two
pages and to create the small drawing on the right page. The shape wasn't as smooth because the
only drawings was of buildings and the mother of Juanita, and Juanita. The texture was a little dull
compared to recent books I evaluated. There wasn't color in the book, just black and white
throughout the text and drawing.
Page design and word placement, use of white/dark space, text placement and font: The page
design in the 2-page spread was blank. The poem started on the left side with the title on the top with
bold font. The poem continued in the second page under the drawing that was at the top of the right
page. The drawing did have borders of black to show that the picture wasn't in the way of the text.
The title and the first line of the stanza was bold and a little bigger than the rest of the normal text.
Explain how illustrations relate to poem content: The illustration wasn't big, but it did mean
something to each character. Juanita was rushing with her mother, and in the illustration, it showed
that her mother was in a hurry with a luggage. It shows that her mother likes to have everything in
order early in the day to be prepared always.
6. CHILD DEVELOPMENT THEORIES -
 Select a poem from the book.
 Choose a theory (Piaget-cognitive, Erikson-psychosocial or emotional
development); identify the stage, age.
 Give specific examples from the poem to show the connection to the
developmental stage and age
Poem: My name is Monica
Theory: Emotional Stage: Empathy Age: 7-11 years old
Examples: Monica and her mother were sad because her father left them to go to America. Children
at this age start to understand their emotions, so they start to understand other's emotions as well.
Children can tell that Monica didn't want her hair to get cut, and that she was upset about that.
7. Overall Rating of poetry book- the book’s appeal to children (3 high - 1 3
low)
Explain the rating:
This poetry book gives a lot of stories to choose one to read. Each story has its own plot and different
emotions are shown in each poem. Children can learn a little bit of their culture without it being
forced in this book. The book naturally pins in different words children can learn and understand to
use in the future. The point of this book is to show a little bit of each region and teach about their
backgrounds and they did a great job expressing those feelings.