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Cosechando esperanza: La historia de Cesar Chaves

Kathleen Krull,

Yuyi Morales (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator)

Alma Flor Ada (Goodreads Author) (Translation)

F. Isabel Campoy (Translation)

4.16 · Rating details · 1,923 ratings · 351 reviews

When Cesar Chavez led a 340-mile peaceful protest march through California, he ignited a cause and improved the lives of thousands of migrant farmworkers. But he wasn't always a leader. As a boy he was shy, soft-spoken, and teased at school. He lived in ramshackle sheds and slaved as a field hand. He knew things had to change, and he thought that--maybe--he could help ...more

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Hardcover, 48 pages

Published August 1st 2003 by HMH Books for Young Readers (first published March 1st 2003)

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Start your review of Cosechando esperanza: La historia de Cesar Chaves

Apr 05, 2010 Manybooks rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone interested in socially significant picture books

Shelves: childrens-history-nonfiction, farming, picture-books, latin-american, immigration-moving, book-reviews, childrens-literature

Truly, this is one of the most informative and moving non-fiction picture books I have read to date. While I had of course heard of Cesar Chavez before reading this book, I knew next to nothing about either his life or La Causa. This might be primarily because I am a resident of Canada, but when one considers the fact that so much of the produce in Canadian grocery stores is not grown in Canada, but in the United States and other areas, the living and working conditions of farm labourers Truly, this is one of the most informative and moving non-fiction picture books I have read to date. While I had of course heard of Cesar Chavez before reading this book, I knew next to nothing about either his life or La Causa. This might be primarily because I am a resident of Canada, but when one considers the fact that so much of the produce in Canadian grocery stores is not grown in Canada, but in the United States and other areas, the living and working conditions of farm labourers everywhere should be of prime importance, should be of global significance.

I am actually (and remain) in awe that a non-fiction picture book could have such an engaging, enthralling and informative narrative, combined with illustrations both luminous and evocative. This book is truly a treasure and represents not only a moving story, but also a most valuable teaching tool, as it shows not only the life, struggles and contributions of Cesar Chavez, but also the living/working conditions of migrant farm workers in general (themes to be discussed and debated).

However, for me, the most important message of Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez is the book's depiction and promotion of non-violent confrontation and protest. It is clearly shown how civil courage and a refusal to embrace violence often has a much more positive and long-lasting impact than violent confrontations or aggressively dangerous reactions. Because Chavez and his fellow farm workers engaged in a non-violent strike, the important message about the often slave-like living and working conditions of many farm labourers were able (in my opinion) to reach a much wider and sympathetic audience, and received much more support from the American public than any violence, any vandalism could have ever achieved. This is not only an important general message, it is also one that needs to be promoted both in the classroom and in the home. Namely, that it is both a civic and moral duty to speak out against and confront racism, bigotry, and all forms of social injustice, but to do this without resorting to violence, to encourage and embrace non-violent criticism and protest. ...more

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Jul 02, 2010 Casey Strauss rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: latina-o

Harvesting Hope chronicles the story of Cesar Chavez, from his childhood in Arizona, to his leadership in organizing a 300-mile protest march to Sacramento, California. Once Cesar’s family moves from Arizona to California and become migrant workers, his whole life changes. He begins to realize how poorly paid and treated his family is, and these struggles greatly affect him. Cesar never loses hope, and as he enters adulthood, he works towards making a difference. He begins to speak out on the ...more

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Oct 17, 2013 Karen Witzler rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-picture, jane-addams-children-s-award

Another excellent children's picture book biography from Kathleen Krull detailing the life of Cesar Chavez and his quest to bring fair working conditions to farm workers in the USA. I especially liked the scenes of his childhood and the loss of dignity, family structure, and sense of permanence that came with the Great Depression and the loss of the family farm. It reminds readers young and old that this could happen to you, this could become your story, too.

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May 16, 2010 Karol rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed-library, read-in-2010

I thought this book was quite well done, in terms of explaining to children the terrible conditions that migrant worker had to face, and what Cesar Chavez accomplished on their behalf. How inspiring that the poorest of the poor could - and did - make a difference in the world. In the author's note, Chavez is quoted as saying "We had never thought that we could actually have any say in our lives. We were poor, we knew it, and we were beyond helping ourselves." The author also points out that ...more

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Nov 25, 2019 Abigail rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Young Readers Who Enjoy Biography / Children Interested in the History of Migrant Workers

Shelves: latino-children, childrens-biography, picture-books, childrens-non-fiction, migrant-workers

The inspiring life-story of Cesar Chavez, the founder of the United Farm Workers - the first organization to fight for the rights of America's underpaid and mistreated migrant farm laborers - is told in Kathleen Krull's wonderful picture-book, Harvesting Hope. From his early childhood on his family's Arizona ranch, lost when drought and depression forced them to sell, to his days as a young migrant worker in the California fields, Krull's narrative follows Chavez as he slowly developed from a ...more

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Sep 27, 2009 (NS) Panagiota Angelos rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Grades 2-5

Shelves: multicultural

Harvesting Hope is a courageous story of one of America’s influential civil right leaders. This picture book is geared for students in grades 2-5 and depicts the struggles and bravery of Cesar Chavez. As a young boy, Cesar and his family lived on a large ranch in Arizona where they harvested their own food. His family life was fruitful and loving, filled with evenings of singing songs, telling stories, and playing. Unfortunately, being a shy boy Cesar was ridiculed and struggled in school. Life ...more

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Oct 07, 2013 Crystal Bandel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: grade-2, z571, grade-4, picture-book, nonfiction, grade-1, grade-3

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull, published 2003.

Nonfiction, biography.

Picture book.

Grades 1-4.

Found via Horn Book Magazine, reviewer not identified.

Harvesting Hope provides the life story of Cesar Chavez, beginning with his early life at a family ranch in Arizona. Then, due to a drought, the family had to move to California to work, where conditions were harsh and the workers were never treated fairly. The book recounts how Chavez at first was resistant to the idea ...more

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May 13, 2010 Crystal Marcos rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I read Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez and I was touched. I did not know about Cesar Chavez until reading it. I read this book out loud to my husband. This is quite a long picture book with very beautiful and colorful illustrations. The length did not bother me because I was very interested in learning about Chavez. I was touched by what Cesar did for the farm workers. I even got a little choked up by reading it. It is definitely a story that makes you think long after you have put it ...more

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May 11, 2011 L13 Tracy Beling rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: latino-a_informational

I enjoyed reading this book. Once again, Yuyi Morales provides beautiful illustrations that attract you to the book. I have always heard of Cesar Chavez, but had never learned about him in any classes I ever took. I thought that starting the book describing his amazing family life up until the age of 10 was the perfect way to show how the strength of one's family can be so influential. Knowing that's the background he comes from makes it easier to understand why he fought the way he did, ...more

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Aug 22, 2008 Lisa Vegan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, non-fiction, picture-books, readbooks-female-author-or-illust, z2008, biography, zz-4star, childrens, goodreads-author

This is a beautifully illustrated history book for elementary school age students. I’ve always admired Cesar Chavez and this book provides some very good introductory information about his life and work, and is told in an interesting manner. Because of what this man stood for, this book could also be used as a discussion starter about civil rights.

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Apr 05, 2012 Jenny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-books, picture-books, biography

I really enjoyed the artwork and the way Cesar Chavez's life was told. One point brought tears to my eyes. I also learned a few things about Chavez that I didn't know. My girls also liked the book.

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Oct 16, 2016 Gabby Ebel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

"It is well to remember there must be courage but also that in victory there must be humility." Powerful quote that I loved from this story!

Synopsis:
Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez is a Pura Belpré Award winning book written by Kathleen Krull and illustrated by Yuyi Morales. Through realistic text and pictures, the story of Cesar Chavez is brought to life. Cesar and his family lived in the Arizona desert, enjoying food and company every night. Cesar had many friends to play with in "It is well to remember there must be courage but also that in victory there must be humility." Powerful quote that I loved from this story!

Synopsis:
Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez is a Pura Belpré Award winning book written by Kathleen Krull and illustrated by Yuyi Morales. Through realistic text and pictures, the story of Cesar Chavez is brought to life. Cesar and his family lived in the Arizona desert, enjoying food and company every night. Cesar had many friends to play with in his community. Then, in 1937, Cesar's family farm was dried out by a drought. They were out of business and money to survive. He and his family had to migrate across California, working and picking crops anywhere they could. Their days were long and pay was almost nothing. Cesar attended school, only to be discriminated by others because of his culture and language, "I am a clown. I speak Spanish." He left school and decided to focus on work. The terrible working conditions of the farmers made Cesar upset, and he wanted to do something about it. He established La Causa, which was the first movement for farm workers' rights. He fought several times with government officials until he finally got the attention and approval that he needed to create the National Farm Workers Association, which promised better conditions for the workers. Speech after speech, fight after fight, Cesar Chavez was just an ordinary boy who became a hero for so many people.

Teaching connection:
One of the most obvious teaching connections would be to use this book for Hispanic Heritage Month. It's a great read aloud book for grades 2nd-5th. The text is a little longer and more dense, so it might be too complex for the younger grades. I think this story was written in a way that makes Cesar Chavez's story very relatable for young people. It dives into his childhood and the experiences he faced in school that made him work for a greater cause (the rights of his farming people). Definitely would be crucial to have stopping points in your read aloud for students to think and talk about the story- page 6: Cesar is talking to his mom and fighting, mom says "use [your] mind and mouth to work out conflicts" What might this predict or foreshadow for Cesar? page 12: Pause and notice the illustration and relate it to the text "hot spasms shoot through his back... earned as little as thirty cents for the day's work" Make an emphasis on the worker's conditions... Is this fair? What could you even buy with thirty cents today? How would Cesar support his family like this? page 14: Cesar is called out in class for speaking Spanish... talk about bilingual education with students... not discriminating about languages/differences in culture, definitely a good place for turn and talk with a buddy, talk about how they would feel if that were them. Students could also extend this lesson with researching other Hispanic Heritages heroes/advocates. Assign a group of students a country that could be in Central/South America, find someone who worked for Hispanic rights.
Side note: I don't like that this book did not include the work that Cesar Chavez's wife also put into the UFW (United Farm Workers Association). Maybe students could include her in their research project as well.

Why this book is a WOW book:
I liked how this book was made at a level for kids to understand, and really be able to admire what Cesar Chavez did for his people. It's a great book to talk about social justice- creating equality for everyone (especially for minorities and careers less talked about like Hispanics and farmers). I don't think that I learned a lot about famous Hispanics in elementary school, so this book would be a good introduction to a unit on this. The illustrations in this book are beautiful and so detailed. The characters faces are easy to read and their actions are easy to see. This book is also great to teach kids that anyone can be a hero! Cesar Chavez was just an ordinary boy whose living and working circumstances led him to fight for something bigger. It shows kids that standing up for your rights and fighting for what you deserve will pay off! Anyone can do it.

Video on Hispanic Heritage Month: http://www.timeforkids.com/photos-vid...
Cesar Chavez website (has great pictures and more information on what he did and what his foundation continues working towards today): http://www.chavezfoundation.org/_cms.... ...more

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Nov 07, 2019 Sarai rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: wow-books

This is a historical fiction text about the life of Cesar Chavez told in a third person point of view. Every summer was like a fiesta - family, friends, and food in the outdoors with singing and dancing as if back in Mexico. They would tell ghost tales and magic stories. An 80 acre island in the Arizona desert belonged to this family, the home built by grandfather was to last forever; the walls were 18 inches thick! a drought came, the crops died and they had no way of survival. Through all of ...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Daniela_b rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Harvesting Hope: Ceasr Chavez migrated from Mexico to California to work on the farmland. Cesar as a kid was not able to finish school, and once he had moved,it was harder because he didnt know how to speak English. He finished up to 8th grade, he graduated and then worked in the field afterwards. The farmworkers wouldnt get paid much and wouldn't get treated well either, "Anyone who complained was fired, beaten up, or sometimes even murdered." Cesar Chavez then started a strike that fought for ...more

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May 30, 2012 Sunday rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-5-nonfiction-read-aloud, text-set-civil-rights-3rd-grade, text-set-chavez-huerta-3-5th-grade

This is easy to read aloud and yet rigorous to understand- over the course of a few lessons. Krull describes the childhood of Cesar Chavez when his family lost their ranch and had to move to California to become migrant workers. The miserable working and living conditions drove Cesar to make a lifelong commitment to seeking justice for farm workers. My only reservation is that Chavez's partnership with Dolores Huerta is not mentioned - she was also a powerful advocate for social justice and ...more

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Feb 28, 2018 Nadia Sahar rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed-572

Before I write this, I must admit that I did not know who Cesar Chavez was, and this book was my first source to get to know about him. It is a very well written biography of Chavez, not only because it puts down all his life events in an engaging manner, but also because it highlights various social issues (sadly still relevant almost 80 years later) and more importantly the choices you make through struggles in life. The choice of words is fantastic and very meaningful for our young readers. I ...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Beverly Kennett rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: info-bios, picture-books, mc_lit

I listened to this story on CD, while I followed along with the book. It is the biography of Cesar Chavez, the founder of the National Farmworker's Association. The story begins by describing the carefree childhood of Chavez living on his family's farm in Arizona. When Chavez was ten years old, there was a great drought and his family eventually lost their farm. They were forced to travel to California and work as migrant workers on other people's farms. Chavez found the conditions unbearable ...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Carla_abarca rated it liked it · review of another edition

Harvesting hope is a story about a man named Cesar Chavez who fought for his and the workers' justice. He began a "Huelga" and as they went city by city people began to join those who were fighting which made Cesar's "Huelga" a success. In my opinion Harvesting hope is a great book for those in fourth and fifth grade to read. I believe students will be able to comprehend the story better and realize what Cesar accomplished.

This book won't just teach the students but it will make the reader ...more

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Nov 06, 2009 (NS) Laura Jackson rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: informational-books-and-biographies

This book is the biography of Cesar Chavez. Cesar Chavez is considered one of the greatest American Civil Rights leaders. As a young boy, Cesar had a very hard time at school. He was teased at school for speaking Spanish. He was very shy and nervous at school, but he still loved to learn. His family had to move to California to work on other people’s farms for very little money. It was during this time that Cesar realized he wanted to try and make a change. He did not agree with the way he and ...more

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Jul 11, 2010 S10_tommccormack rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: latino

Ages: 10 - 13

"Harvesting Hope" is a picture book that tells the life story of César Chávez in a popular education style. The book does a good job of distilling a lot of information and detail into a story that's accessible to older elementary school students. Also, the illustrations, which are somewhat reminiscent of the murals of Diego Rivera, bring the story to life.

The book has more text than the average picture book, and the subject matter lends itself to further explanation and discussion, ...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Maribel Galvez rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Grade/interest level: Upper Elementary (3-5)
Reading level: 4.8 (Lexile 800L)
Genre: Biography, Multicultural

Main Characters: Cesar Chavez and his family
Setting: Arizona and California
POV: Third Person Narrator

Harvesting Hope is the story of Cesar Chavez and what he accomplished for the migrant workers. The book describes his life starting with his childhood on his family’s farm in Arizona. His father loses the farm due to a drought and they are forced to move and find work. Working at a young ...more

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Jan 19, 2013 L13_Natasha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mc-literature

Summer nights on the ranch with relatives made Cesar’s childhood memorable and delightful. However, that lovely childhood only lasted “until Cesar Chavez was ten.” It was 1937 and a drought overcame Arizona making bill paying impossible and forcing his family to move. Becoming migrant workers was the only option, even with terrible living conditions and not enough money to sustain a family. School offered no better opportunity. The language barrier made him the “clown.” Cesar was forced to quit ...more

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Sep 23, 2011 Margaret rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: latino-a

Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Book 2004

Americas Honorable Mention 2003

Notable Book

This book is a biography of Cesar Chavez. It shows his life from the time he was ten years old on his family farm in Arizona. The family loses the farm and goes looking for work in California. There they see the conditions are horrible. The book shows how Cesar Chavez becomes a spokesman for his people working to get conditions and wages improved.

Yuyi Morales creates very authentic illustrations that really help ...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Jonny Rivera rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The children's book Harvesting Hope by Katheleen Krull and illustrated by YUYI Morales, is a beautiful book about the life of the very INSPIRATIONAL man named Ceasr Chavez.This book is more along the lines of forth to fifth graders, because this is a little more advanced than most children's book. I believe that this book is great for teachers and students who are trying to learn a better understanding of Cesar Chavez and his life, this book is perfect because it teaches you about his ...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Dolly marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: picture-book-club, nonfiction, biography-autobiography-memoir

This story was selected as one of the books for the May 2010 - Latino reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

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Feb 26, 2017 Jailine Marin-Torres rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Harvesting Hope is a wonderful book to use when teaching students about Cesar Chavez and what he did to help farmers out. The illustrations of the book are details and the story is written in order for students to understand Cesar Chavez’s story.

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May 16, 2010 Maggi Rohde rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: early-elementary, biography, people-of-color

Important biographical portrait of Cesar Chavez and the positive aspects of his resistance movement. I worry it doesn't touch enough on his controversial aspects, but it would be just right for younger kids.

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