A Picture Book of Cesar Chavez

Picture Book Biography

by David A. Adler, Michael S. Adler, Marie Olofsdotter (Illustrator)

For Cesar Chavez, dignity always meant more than money. As a child growing up in California during the Great Depression, Cesar picked produce with his family to make ends meet. The work was backbreaking, the pay was very low, and many families, including his, were homeless. Cesar Chavez later dedicated his life to helping American farmworkers. He argued for better pay and fair working conditions, and was even jailed for his efforts. But he never stopped urging people to stand up for their rights. Young readers will be inspired by the fascinating life story of this champion of social justice.

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, History, Nonfiction, Latinx, Childrens, Spanish Literature

32 pages, Hardcover

Published July 1, 2010

About the author

David Abraham Adler is an American children's author. He was born in New York City, New York in 1947. He graduated from Queens College in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics and education. For the next nine years, he worked as a mathematics teacher for the New York City Board of Education, while taking classes towards a master's degree in marketing, a degree he was awarded by New York University in 1971. In that same year, a question from his then-three-year-old nephew inspired Adler to write his first story, A Little at a Time, subsequently published by Random House in 1976. Adler's next project, a series of math books, drew on his experience as a math teacher. In 1977, he created his most famous character, Cam Jansen, originally featured in Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds, which was published that year.

Adler married psychologist Renee Hamada in 1973, and their first child, Michael, was born in 1977. By that time Adler had taken a break from teaching and, while his wife continued her work, he stayed home, took care of Michael, and began a full-time writing career.

Adler's son, Michael S. Adler, is now the co-author of several books with his father, including A Picture Book of Sam Adams, A Picture Book of John Hancock, and A Picture Book of James and Dolly Madison. Another son, Edward, was the inspiration for Adler's Andy Russell series, with the events described in the series loosely based on adventures the Adler family had with Edward's enthusiasm and his pets.

As of November 2008, Adler has three sons and two grandsons. He lives in Woodmere, New York.

(source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cesar Chavez dedicated his life to helping American farmworkers. As a child growing up in California during the Great Depression, he picked produce with his family. Cesar saw firsthand how unfairly workers were treated. As an adult, he organized farmworkers into unions and argued for better pay and fair working conditions. He was jailed for his efforts, but he never stopped urging people to stand up for their rights. Young readers will be inspired by the fascinating life story of this champion of social justice.

[Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've only just begun reading David A. Adler's Picture Book Biography series. In this one (co-written by his son, Michael) they share the life of Cesar Chavez. Despite having recently read a couple of other books about him before this one, I felt I learned new details. Includes a timeline and notes from the authors.

[Kaitlyn Luzar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book describes the works of Cesar. Cesar came from a very poor family where they struggled to make ties meet. Him and his family would move around from place to place from being poor. Cesar learns to fight for what he wants and to make a better living for himself. This is a great book for teaching young children diversity. I loved this book all around!

[David Morales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of information. Just not my style.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was incredibly informative. It was well written and illustrated. However, it contained a *ton* of information that seemed overwhelming for small children.

[Adriana Servin-cruz]

The simplicity of this text makes this reading easy to understand but at the same time incorporates much history about a leader who fought for peoples’ rights. The book initiates by describing how Cesar Chavez grew up and the influences that surrounded him. His family plays a major role as we see he learned about morals from his mother, whom always told him that violence was not the answer, even when he would be picked on by his teachers. The book then goes on to describe his family’s situation and the instability he had as a child. He attended several different schools due to the fact that his parents would have to find a different plantation to work in where they would not be working under harsh and unfair conditions. Cesar became aware of this and as he became more educated, he decided to stand up for the people who had no other choice but to tolerate the mistreatment at work. He initiated his career by using the power of speech rather than violence. The people would listen to Cesar talk and became aware of the injustices. Soon his support system expanded and managed to improve the working conditions of farmers as well as Latino civil rights.
This book teaches students about a civil rights advocate who fought for social justice in an admirable and non-violent way. He took action of the unfairness he saw within society and encouraged people to speak out about them along with him. He managed to gain much support by using two important aspects which are communication and action. As an educator it is important to teach students about being outspoken and following what they truly believe in. This book has a significant lesson for young children and that is that goals can be accomplished in a dignified manner if one knows how to appropriately approach the situation. Students will learn that adults can also be unfair and it is important for them to speak out about it. The vocabulary included in this book is unchallenging making it a great book for primary grades. The chronological narration as well as the pictures will keep young students engaged.

[Pamela Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Cesar Chavez is one that has not inspired and motivated Hispanics to make a change in the United States, but it has also inspired other people to stand up for what they believe and not give up on their dream. A Picture Book of Cesar Chavez starts off by talking about the childhood of Cesar Chavez and then leading up to the years of when he was an activist in the working fields of California. All of the strikes, or "huelgas" as they are called in Spanish, and the times that he was arrested eventually lead to more just rules for the people in the working fields and recognition from the President of the United States of America after he died.

I was able to connect with story not only because of my ethinicity, but also because my dad worked in the fields upon first arriving in the USA as a teenager. Because he arrived after he justice movement of Cesar Chavez, my dad was able to work in the fields with just rules and wages and benefit from all of the hard work that Cesar Chavez did. This illustrated biography allows kids from 2nd to 4th grade to learn more about an important time in history, but it can also inspire kids of a Hispanic background to see that a person of their race made a difference and they can also make a difference wherever they may be. The use of warm colors and the paintings in the style of Diego Rivers, Frida Kahlo's husband, sets the tone for a historical story that happened in the fields.

[Cesar M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The character education book I chose to read was "A Picture Book of Cesar Chavez" by David A. Adler. The book talks about Cesar's upbringing, how he had to drop out of school to help his family and his time in the United States Navy. This book shows the tremendous strides that Cesar endured in order to help farmers gain respect, power and be heard. In my opinion, this picture book gives young children an excellent picture of what Cesar Chavez was like, and they will see how he was able to bring about change for poor farm workers. The words in the book are engaging, and there are many quotes from Cesar throughout the text that give the story a certain personal touch. The book also includes a timeline and notes from the authors. I believe that this book would show students to have the courage to stand up for what they believe in. Cesar like many of us believed that everyone deserves to have equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. Also, students will learn that one person can make a difference in the world.

[Vanessa Gomez RDG · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the story of Cesar Chavez. It starts off my telling a little about where he comes from. Cesar and his family were very poor and barley made ends meet day by day. The Chavez family worked by picking fresh produce. Since they were poor they moved around from place to place to try to find fresh produce to pick. In his later life he fought for better pay and better working conditions. Cesar never stopped fighting for people's rights with no limit.

This book is great for children who are in grades second to third. There is only a title page and not a dust jacket. The colors are not very bright nor are they dull. They are just broad. The pictures are illustrated by colored pencils. The wording in this book is either on the top or on the bottom of the page. It does not get in the way of the pictures. The genre of this book is non-fiction since it tells the story of Cesar Chavez and his journey growing up. The students will be able to know more about his life by reading this book.

[Michelle Tran · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Picture Book of Cesar Chavez describes the work of Cesar. Starting from childhood to adulthood, it showcases the struggles that immigrant workers face and the lack of safety and respect they face in America. Chavez devoted his adult life to fight for rights of the workers by creating unions and negotiating for fair pay and safe working conditions. Chavez even went to jail for his quest for social justice.

The illustrations in this book are colorful and the text is easy to understand. I liked how the story was simple but still stayed true to the message and theme of social justice. The book also gives a timeline of the actual events and when it happened in history. I think this is an excellent book for children 4-6 grade because at this age, children have a better sense of right and wrong.

I give this book 5 stars because Cesar Chavez is not someone we hear often in American History until much later. I think it is important for children to understand that not all American heros are presidents and they can be anyone.

[Brandy Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

When children are younger sometimes they aren’t always exposed to historical figures. It is important however for young kids to learn about people who have impacted history and what they have accomplished. A great way for this to occur is to have children read biographies. There are authors who have written books about famous people and what they have done. In the biography “A Picture Book of Cesar Chavez” by David Adler, Cesar Chavez's life is explored. He dedicated his life to helping American farmers and receiving social justice. There are funny and interesting facts and well as facts about his achievements that are all shared through detailed pictures. This book is a great way to expose young children to the wonderful life he lived. I also loved the different literary elements I saw in the story. The entertaining pictures as well as the simple text really aloud me to connect with the story. I would absolutely recommend this book for all young readers.

[Dane Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: A Picture Book of Cesar Chavez
Author: David A. Adler and Michael S. Adler
Guided Reading Level M
Grade Level Equivalent 3.8
traits: Voice - this book focuses on Chavez's strong moral code and his dedication to non-violent resistance


I have looked and seen that David Adler has done lots of autobiographical picture books but this one drew me because it was about Cesar Chavez. The author teamed up with his son to create a book , not focused on Cesar Chavez's great accomplishments as an adult but what shaped him as a a child and adolescent. This is a fantastic way to relate historical figures that can become larger than life to children. Many of my Latino students have family backgrounds that match Chavez's and I think it is an important book to have in a classroom set so that students can see themselves reflected positively.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A picture book about the life of Cesar Chavez and his Union work for Migrant workers. Interestingly enough, I had no idea that his union was in direct competition with illegal workers from Mexico. He fought for American born migrant workers to be employed over illegal workers and for legal workers to receive higher pay. It highlights the friction between American and foreign born Latinos. His parents were Mexican Migrant workers, but his union work shut out future immigrants.

A very interesting picture book that gives a nice overview of a man who changed migrant worker rights forever as well as the pesticides used on crops.

[Monica Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this picture book about the life of Cesar Chavez. I definitely came away with more knowledge about his fight for equal rights and how he impacted the world. The book is well illustrated, using mainly warm earth tones with splashes of bright colors, common in Hispanic culture. I liked how the book followed Cesar's life from birth through death, highlighting his major accomplishments. This book told his story in a simple, understandable way but did not downplay his accomplishments. This book would be great for children grades 2-6 because it teaches an important part of history.

[Jnase1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a big non-fiction reader, so this book was a good short non-fiction book for me to start with. I enjoyed looking at the illustrations as I learned about the life of Mr. Chavez. I knew that Mr. Chavez was included as an imporatant person in our nation's history, but didn't know much about him. After reading this book, I feel more knowledgeabout about who he was and feel like I would recommend this book to my patrons who are looking to read about strong role models in our country. This book is on a fifth grade reading level, but it could be read as a read aloud to younger students.

[RLL 520 Sharonda Kimbrough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who was Cesar Chavez? This is the question answered by this vibrantly colored picture book on the social justice hero. After growing up in humble beginnings as a farm worker, Cesar realized early on that his life could be better if he and his fellow workers were treated humanely and with respect. This informational text tells about the life of the social justice hero and how he changed the lives of many farm workers.

[Sarah Owen]

This book is about Cesar Chavez, who was a man who helped american farmers. He lived during the depression and realized that american farmworkers were being treated unfairly and was doing all he could to help them. He ended up being put in jail.

I liked this book because I didn't know who he was before hand, but now i can thank him for alot of the things related to working a adult job.

I would use this when talking about the depression.

[Otoniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cesar Chavez for beginner readers is a book that teaches about minorities groups, farmworkers, and how a man decided to fight for their rights transcending through history. Students identify themselves with the character of the story due to their Spanish heritage and learned how one person can work for the community.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction for younger readers.

[Kerri Harshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful story of the American Hero, Cesar Chavez. The text is very informational about his entire life, and how his work still impacts America today.

[Angel Phelps]

i liked the book because he was a nice man and I read about cesar Chavez.