The Little Painter of Sabana Grande By Patricia Maloney Markun

From the back: Fernando longs to paint during the dry season vacation from school. Only after making his own colors does he realize he has no paper on which to paint. His resourceful solution to the problem, with family and community support, is to paint on the adobe houses of his village. Cultural details abound in the presentation of home life, and the flora and fauna he paints. The story, based on a memory of the author while living in Panama, includes a glossary."

My thoughts: My class enjoyed this story and enjoyed creating their own drawings of nature. I liked the look into another culture. This book was an Américas Award Commended Book

Challenges
100+ Reading Challenge
Books Around the World Challenge
RYOB Challenge

Children’s literature, Panama

The Grapes of Wrath

library book

I can't believe I got to be this old before I read this book. You've probably already read it and if you haven't you should.

It was set during the great depression and followed one family, the Joads, as they were driven out of their home and driven west seeking work, along with thousands of other families. It is not a plesant time in our history and treated starkly by Steinbeck.

This book grabbed my heart. I was somewhat dissapointed at the end. I wanted to know what happened to the Joads, where Tom went, how Noah got along, if Al married the girl, did the starving man survive after Rose of Sharon helped him.