Mi Diario de Aqui hasta Alla (Spanish Title)
Amada learns that her family must leave their little house
in Juarez, Mexico for better opportunities in the United States. Both nervous
and intrigued, Amada, along with her mother and siblings, stays with relatives in
a border town while her father moves to California to get work and to secure
green cards for them. From waiting for
all the preparations to be made for their immigration to their final move to a
new country, Amada records her memories, fears, and hopes in her diary.
Evaluation
Perez records each diary entry by Amada in both Spanish and
English, representing her cross-cultural experience and family (her father is
an Mexican American citizen). Amada
expresses feelings typical for children in this situation. She is sad to leave her home and friends as
well as nervous about learning a new language and culture. Her younger siblings annoy her, but close
ties with her family and extended family are evident. Overall, Amada is hopeful and positive for
their future. The Latino voice and
migrant experience are based on the author’s own journey to America as a child,
making them genuine and vivid.
Illustrator Maya Christian Gonzalez has created strong
character images in bright colors contrasting with neutral tones. She captures well the sense of community in
the culture. Nearly every page includes
several members, often multi-generational, of Amada’s family close
together.
I chose to highlight this title because the topic is
relevant and relatively new in the picture book world. With millions of migrant and immigrant
children in American schools, their experiences are important to share and to
discuss in the classroom. An additional
picture book title to examine is Two
White Rabbits. While the topic is
similar, the experience is quite different.
My Diary from Here to There is a Pura Belpre' award winner. I recommend it for ages 6-11.
Lesson Plan Ideas and
Extension Activities
- Literature: Read both My Diary from Here to There and Two White Rabbits. Compare and contrast the two stories using a Venn diagram. Pam Munoz Ryan’s Esperanza Rising, a middle grade fiction, is also about the migrant experience.
- Journaling: Have students write about a time they were nervous or afraid because of a change or unknown situation.
- Social Studies: Show a TV program in Spanish OR have someone present a short lesson in a non-native language. Afterwards, discuss how the children felt as they listened. How would they feel if instruction, signs, and everything around them were in Spanish/another language? Connect it to Amada and other immigrants’ experiences.
- Writing: Discuss the parts of letter. Practice composing a letter (like Amada does). Write to either a friend or relative who is far away. Another idea is to connect students to a pen pal in other country to share cultural experiences.
- History: Learn about Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers.
- Language Art Lesson Plan with multiple ideas and activities.
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