Esperanza Rising, by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Presenting the winner, in 2024, of the Children’s Literature Legacy Award, Pam Muñoz Ryan. Presented each year by the Association for Library Service to Children, this award “honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to children’s literature through books that demonstrate integrity and respect for all children’s lives and experiences.” My featured reading is from Esperanza Rising, by Pam Muñoz Ryan.
https://youtu.be/Dc7Vj-kdrfM

Esperanza thought she’d always live a privileged life on her family’s ranch in Mexico. She’d always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home filled with servants, and Mama, Papa, and Abuelita to care for her. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza isn’t ready for the hard work, financial struggles brought on by the Great Depression, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When Mama gets sick and a strike for better working conditions threatens to uproot their new life, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances-because Mama’s life, and her own, depend on it. Esperanza Rising was the winner, in 2002, of the Pura Belpré (Author) Award, which honors a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.