JOELITO’S
BIG DECISION / LA GRAN DECISIÓN DE JOELITO
(NY: Hardball Press, 2015). Written by Ann Berlak; illustrations by
Daniel Camacho - www.hardballpress.com
Book
Review by John Pietaro
Like most
children’s books built on a progressive core, ‘Joelito’s Big Decision / La Gran Decisión de Joelito ’ strives
for impact. Though educational, it never loses the enjoyable, compelling
quality necessary to hold youthful attention. More so, the book is enlightening
on both cultural and socio-political levels, and visually enthralling.
The
text—including the title—is offered in both English and Spanish, with no
differentiation of the font size. The overt and underlying message of this
converges in unity and equality. And the story of a boy’s recognition of the
need to stand by his neighbors who are underpaid restaurant workers is nothing
short of timely. The publisher, Hard Ball Press, was founded by Tim Sheard, an
official of the National Writers Union with a long history in the fight for
social change (as well as fine literature).
Nine
year-old Joelito is part of a warm, caring family residing in an urban
California locale. His parents work for a living but by all indications are
making ends meet. Each Friday they eat dinner out. The weekly pilgrimage to the
local burger place stands as a bonding point for Joelito, his sister Alma and
their parents. The restaurant itself looms large in the kids’ sphere, literally
and figuratively. But his close friend Brandon’s family is undergoing financial
struggles and engage in a labor action at this same restaurant, their
workplace. It is through this vehicle that Joelito comes to understand the
disparity and imbalance that was always right in front of him.
Writer
Berlak’s character studies are standard for a children’s book, where there is a
need for expediency. However, the flow of the story is not only well-paced but
lovingly told. It feels natural, as if based on conversations overheard among
children. Berlak has a vivid understanding of the issue as seen through the fourth-grader’s
eyes—her fifty-year career as an educator is evident.
Another
character that is featured in this book is the restaurant itself: a large
plastic statue of the owner’s head adorns the rooftop of each outlet and while
it had previously beckoned Joelito as a positive, fun image, the enormous,
bulbous fixture later appears ominous. To the low-wage employees, it represents
the arrogance of the owner’s greed. The business God-complex should also be
obvious to the adult reading over the children’s shoulder. But what of the
plastic veneer of the burger mogul’s effigy?
The
artwork by Daniel Camacho requires some note. The influence of classic Mexican folkloric
art is proudly overt. The characters have large round faces, wide mouths and
staring eyes, appearing all the more like papier mache masks. There is a level
of surrealism to this, but never in a manner that may be off-putting to
children. In fact, the creative visuals should only enhance the readers’ sense
of wonder. Camacho is widely celebrated for his murals; the Mexican and Chicano
tradition of political statement through murals is well-established on the Left.
Many of the frames in ‘Joelito’s Big Decision / Joelito Decide’ could have
climbed off the walls of Camacho’s radical visions.
The
story of workers fighting for dignity and security for their families is ongoing.
The heritage of struggle is well told here as Joelito, searching for a fuller
understanding of this challenge, is reminded by his mother that her parents
were desperately poor farm workers: “Demonstrating to be treated more fairly
saved your abuelos’ lives”. The accompanying illustration of Cesar Chavez
leading a march forges an indelible link between Si Se Puede! and the Fight
for $15.
The striving
for workers’ rights continues but the choices we make have an impact well
beyond our immediate purview.
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