PPBF – Amelia’s Road

I’m enjoying the late summer bounty at local farmers’ markets, reveling in the many fruits and vegetables available. My favorite market is at an orchard where late-harvest peaches, a variety of plums, and early apples can be picked now. I have many fond memories of apple picking with my children when they were young, and I even remember picking grapes as a child for my father’s attempts to make “wine.” It was hard work, but it was once a year, for a few hours only, and we kept what we picked.

Today’s Perfect Picture Book also involves picking fruits and vegetables, but as a job, not for fun, and by families who follow the harvests, who mark time, not in calendar months or days, but by harvest cycles.

Title: Amelia’s Road

Written By: Linda Jacobs Altman

Illustrated By: Enrique O. Sanchez

Publisher/date: Lee & Low Books/1993

Suitable for Ages: 5-8

Themes/Topics: migrant farm workers; Latina; home; #WNDB

Opening:

Amelia Luisa Martinez hated roads. Straight roads. Curved roads. Dirt roads. Paved roads. Roads leading to all manner of strange places, and roads leading to nowhere at all. Amelia hated roads so much that she cried every time her father took out the map.

Brief Synopsis: Amelia, the daughter of migrant farm workers, dreams of a permanent home.

Links to Resources:

• Draw your home, or a place you’d like to live;
• Amelia doesn’t like maps, because they are a sign the family is moving again; maps can be fun, though, especially when you learn mapping skills
• Find a small box (shoe boxes work well); decorate the outside of the box with pictures of things you like; fill the box with things that are important to you;
• Check out the Teacher’s Guide.

Why I Like this Book:

Amelia’s Road is a realistic look at the lives of migrant farm families, who move from place to place following the harvests. Despite the difficulty of the topic matter, Altman imbues the story with a note of hope, in the form of a sympathetic teacher who welcomes Amelia into her classroom, bothers to learn her name and praises the drawing of something Amelia holds most dear: a white house with blue shutters with a large tree in the yard. I think this shows the impact an act of kindness can have to better the life of another. I also loved that Amelia stumbled upon a large tree in a field, at the end of a path-like, “accidental” road, a place where Amelia could feel at home, where she buried a treasure box, as a sign that she would return to this place she belonged.

Sanchez’ acrylic on canvas illustrations work well with the rural setting and difficult lives of the migrant farm workers.

A Note about Craft:

Altman’s opening provides clues about the issues of the story and piques the reader’s interest. She uses Amelia’s full name, thus letting us know that Amelia is a Latina. We also learn that Amelia hates roads, leaving us to wonder why. Finally, Altman provides a subtle clue: Amelia cries when her father takes out a map. Could it be that Amelia’s family is on the road too much? If so, is that why the book is entitled Amelia’s Road? Could a road be both a problem and provide a solution? I, for one, wanted to read on & find out.

Even without looking at its publication date, it’s clear from the longer text, almost 1,100 words, that Amelia’s Road is an older picture book. Despite its length and slower pacing, however, I think its subject matter, migrant farm workers, and themes, including the desire for home and community, a sense of “belonging”, make it relevant for today’s readers. By addressing multiple themes, ie, adding layers, I think Altman has lengthened the shelf life of Amelia’s Road.

Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Books https://susannahill.com/for-teachers-and-parents/perfect-picture-books/list provides reviews of picture books by topic. While Susanna is taking a break for the summer, you can still check out the other great picture books featured there!