My Papi has a Motorcycle is a picture book by Isabel Quintero. A young girl, Daisy, recounts the motorcycle ride that she takes with her dad who she calls “Papi” around their home town of Corona, California. On the ride Daisy points out all the things that are important to her; her Abulita’s (Grandmothers) church, a local store; Joy’s Market, murals of citrus groves that the town is known for, a road that once held a famous race, her grandparents house with a lemon tree, and the local librarian. They greet her fathers coworkers as they pass by their worksite. When they pass down a shut down store that once had her favorite shaved ice it makes her sad. She talks about how some things are changing but there is great history to see as well. There is a mix of Spanish and English used in the book which gives it a unique feel. This book would be a great story to share with students in grades Pre-K to 3rd grade. The main character Daisy is based on the author, Isabel Quintero’s real experiences growing up in Corona, California. In the Author’s note you learn this along with hearing about how she loved going around town with her Papi and seeing the town that was so important to her which reflected both her Mexican and American heritages. The illustrations are a mix of watercolor illustrations and some digital prints that are bright and colorful. They provide the reader with a great picture of what the town looked like. As mentioned before, there is a mix of Spanish and English in the text and also in the text bubbles on the pages. This book provides readers with a window into Mexican culture. There are references to things from Mexican culture to learn about such as foods, traditions with family and the history of the road race and lemon trees. This is also a good window into a positive father and daughter relationship. This book provides readers with a mirror when they think about if they have a Mexican heritage and can relate. Children with a strong parent relationship could relate as well as we see the strong relationship between Daisy and her Papi. I look forward to using this book in my library as a read aloud with students. During reading it aloud I would ask questions about what Daisy and her Papi are seeing. We would discuss how she was feeling while she passed by the different places in town. This would then be a good time for students to make a community connection. They could share about things they see in their community aloud. They could then go and get more books to check out that they could share with a member of their community. Another lesson idea would be to read this aloud and then make a community map like we did in class. This book would be a great one to share as it includes some really good examples of people Daisy counts as her community that would help students think of their own community.
Bibliography
Quintero, I. (2019). My Papi has a Motorcycle. Penguin Random House.
My Papi has a Motorcycle is a picture book by Isabel Quintero. A young girl, Daisy, recounts the motorcycle ride that she takes with her dad who she calls “Papi” around their home town of Corona, California. On the ride Daisy points out all the things that are important to her; her Abulita’s (Grandmothers) church, a local store; Joy’s Market, murals of citrus groves that the town is known for, a road that once held a famous race, her grandparents house with a lemon tree, and the local librarian. They greet her fathers coworkers as they pass by their worksite. When they pass down a shut down store that once had her favorite shaved ice it makes her sad. She talks about how some things are changing but there is great history to see as well. There is a mix of Spanish and English used in the book which gives it a unique feel. This book would be a great story to share with students in grades Pre-K to 3rd grade.
The main character Daisy is based on the author, Isabel Quintero’s real experiences growing up in Corona, California. In the Author’s note you learn this along with hearing about how she loved going around town with her Papi and seeing the town that was so important to her which reflected both her Mexican and American heritages. The illustrations are a mix of watercolor illustrations and some digital prints that are bright and colorful. They provide the reader with a great picture of what the town looked like. As mentioned before, there is a mix of Spanish and English in the text and also in the text bubbles on the pages.
This book provides readers with a window into Mexican culture. There are references to things from Mexican culture to learn about such as foods, traditions with family and the history of the road race and lemon trees. This is also a good window into a positive father and daughter relationship. This book provides readers with a mirror when they think about if they have a Mexican heritage and can relate. Children with a strong parent relationship could relate as well as we see the strong relationship between Daisy and her Papi.
I look forward to using this book in my library as a read aloud with students. During reading it aloud I would ask questions about what Daisy and her Papi are seeing. We would discuss how she was feeling while she passed by the different places in town. This would then be a good time for students to make a community connection. They could share about things they see in their community aloud. They could then go and get more books to check out that they could share with a member of their community. Another lesson idea would be to read this aloud and then make a community map like we did in class. This book would be a great one to share as it includes some really good examples of people Daisy counts as her community that would help students think of their own community.
Bibliography
Quintero, I. (2019). My Papi has a Motorcycle. Penguin Random House.