A Curricular Text Set Compiled by
Kathy Isbister
San José State University
INFO 237 School Library Media Materials
October 2017
Kathy Isbister
San José State University
INFO 237 School Library Media Materials
October 2017
Anchor Text: Tomás and the Library Lady
Mora, P. (1997). Tomás and the library lady. New York: Knopf.
Format: Book Complexity: Lexile Level 500L (below grade level) About the book: Tomás has recently moved from Texas to Iowa with his family. His parents are migrant farm workers who move with the seasons to follow crops in need of harvesting. While they work in the hot sun, Tomás listens to his grandfather, Papa Grande, tell stories under a shady tree. Papa Grande notices that Tomás already knows the ending to all of his stories, so he encourages him to seek out more by visiting the library. Tomás finds the library to be a welcoming place with a kind librarian (the library lady), cool water to drink, and many stories that allow him to travel using his imagination. When the family must return to Texas, the library lady gifts him his own book and Papa Grande notes that this represents more stories for the family’s new storyteller. This picture book was written by Pat Mora to honor Tomás Rivera after his untimely death. (Mora, P. (unknown). Tomás and the library lady: Questions from students about the book. Retrieved from http://www.patmora.com/books/Tomás-and-the-library-lady/) |
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Books
Altman, L. (1993). Amelia’s road.
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Trottier, M. (2011). Migrant.
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Herrera, J. (1995). Calling the doves: El canto de las palomas.
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News article and documentary video
Balonon-Rosen, P. (2016, October 31). Schools hustle to reach kids who move with the harvest, not the school year. Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/10/31/498249903/schools-hustle-to-reach-kids-who-move-with-the-harvest-not-the-school-year
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Pacheco, L. and Mow, J. (Producers/Directors) (2015). East of Salinas. U.S.A.: Rock Salt Creative, LLC).
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Poems
Mora, P. (2005) Library magic. Retrieved from http://www.patmora.com/a-poem-for-summer-reading/
Format: Poem, available on the author’s website Complexity: Suitable for 1st-4th grade readers. About the poem: 3-stanza poem with simple vocabulary and some rhyming patterns. |
Rivera, T. (1990). The rooster crows en Iowa y en Texas. The searchers: Collected poetry, 26. Houston: Arte Publico Press. Also available at https://mypoeticside.com/show-classic-poem-23378
Format: Poem, available in a book collection of poems and also on the All Poetry website. Complexity: Suitable for 3rd-6th grade readers. About the poem: A brief poem without a rhyming scheme, using simple vocabulary and featuring the titles of well-known stories in the Spanish language. |