author: Alma Flor Ada
author: Rosalma Zubizarreta
illustrator: Simón Silva
HarperCollins, 1997
preschool-grade 5
Mexican American
In this beautiful bilingual homage to César Chávez and the agricultural workers he led, Ada and Zubizarreta have matched each letter in the alphabet with a word or concept in Spanish (a is for árboles, g is for grácias) and a poem in both Spanish and English about some facet in the lives of the workers and their families.
The letter “C” and the sound “ch” are for César Chavez:
César chávez
Ya tus pasos no cruzan los campos polvorientos
ni los alumbras con tu buena voz
pero tu ejemplo
y tu palabra
retoñan en los surcos
en brotes de callada esperanza.
Your steps no longer cross the dusty fields
where your strong voice once shone
yet your example
and your words
sprout anew in the field rows
as seedlings of quiet hope.
The brilliantly colored, vibrant gouache illustrations by Simón Silva remind me of the murals of Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco. Both hablantes and English speakers will appreciate knowing where our food comes from.
Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English is highly recommended.
—Beverly Slapin
(published 4/6/2013; revised 7/13/2021)
