Joelito’s Big Decision/La Gran Decisión de Joelito
An bilingual (English/Spanish) story about a boy and a burger.
Ages 6-12
Joelito Sanchez is a happy-go-lucky fourth grader. The highlight of his week is a Friday-night family dinner at Smiling Sam MacMann’s burger restaurant. One Friday things don’t work out as expected. The invisible becomes visible as Joelito begins to see that his best friend’s family cannot afford the basic things he takes for granted every day because of the low wages MacMann's pays their workers.
Joelito learns to connect the dots between people’s private lives and troubles and the larger social forces that surround them. And he faces his first big decision: give in to his desire for that juicy burger or stand with his friend on the picket line. Story by Ann Berlak, gorgeous illustrations by Daniel Camacho, and a wonderful translation by Jose´Antonio Galloso. Price: $12.50
Joelito learns to connect the dots between people’s private lives and troubles and the larger social forces that surround them. And he faces his first big decision: give in to his desire for that juicy burger or stand with his friend on the picket line. Story by Ann Berlak, gorgeous illustrations by Daniel Camacho, and a wonderful translation by Jose´Antonio Galloso. Price: $12.50
NOW AVAILBLE in a gorgeous hardcover edition.
Do children want to understand their political and social worlds? Click here for a discussion about raising social justice issues with children...
THINGS TO DISCUSS
Stories like Joelito’s Big Decision/La Gran Decisión de Joelito can help us see:
Joelito’s Big Decision/La Gran Decisión de Joelito can ignite thoughtful, passionate discussions about what a “fair” distribution of wealth means and how to get there.
Stories like Joelito’s Big Decision/La Gran Decisión de Joelito can help us see:
- how our lives connect with the lives of others, often in hidden ways
- why some people are so rich and others are so poor
- how ordinary people acting together can create a better world
Joelito’s Big Decision/La Gran Decisión de Joelito can ignite thoughtful, passionate discussions about what a “fair” distribution of wealth means and how to get there.
The author, illustrator and translator
Author Ann Berlak has been a teacher and teacher educator for over fifty years. She envisions schools as places where children learn to become active, caring participants in the creation of a world that works for everyone. After encouraging teachers to promote social justice in their classrooms for nearly fifty years, she was keenly aware of the paucity books that sparked critical thinking about how social and political forces affect children’s daily lives. So she decided to write one herself.
Illustrator Daniel Camacho lives and works in Oakland, California. His at-home studio is filled with ongoing projects, and is usually open to visitors upon request. He teaches art to elementary and middle school students and works to promote an awareness of Mexican / Latino culture through his participation with the Oakland Museum of California, the Spanish Speaking Unity Council, local public libraries and other community based organizations.
Photo by Rufus Diamant.
Photo by Rufus Diamant.
Translator José Antonio Galloso was born in Lima, Peru. He is a writer, photographer and a bilingual teacher with studies in audiovisual communication, Spanish and writing. He has published poetry and fiction and his works have been included in several anthologies. His photographic work, which he considers an extension of his writing, has been exhibited and published in different galleries, printed media and online. He has been living in the Bay Area since 2002. (Photo by Peskador)