"Este Libro es mi Historia": Lessons from a Mexican Immigrant Family's Storybook Reading

Dr. Patrick C. Manyak

Manuscript in Progress

This family’s mother was able to share her culture and her ways of life to her children through the sharing of textbooks regarding her culture.

It was easily seen in the second episode of book reading for Patrick that when the textbooks were more culturally sensitive, the mother responded by wanting all her children involved with her in conversations and the readings. You could see the value that she placed on sharing her heritage with her family.

(I know that now when both of my parents and all grandparents have died that all sources of family information are gone. There is a huge void and there are questions that I would like to ask them that earlier I didn’t even think of. Only one aunt (80+) is living from whom family information can be obtained at this time.)

In this oral reading occurrence, the mother was undirected as to what kinds of questions to ask the children. If this procedure is simulated again with another family, perhaps examples of questions could be given to assist the mother. If the book was regarding Martin Luther King, she could ask, “Do you know what segregation means? Do you understand what Civil Rights means?” Open ended questions could be explained to her where your own opinion can be the answer and it would not be right or wrong.

For my first two older children, both had an opportunity to live the rural country ranch life when they visited their grandparents in the summer. But our youngest son did not have this opportunity to experience the rural culture as he was always involved in sports in the summer.

Had I have known about this article, I could have shared specific text books with him regarding the rural life. Reading this has helped me to know that although I did not help him that I can help my grandchildren to learn about their rural heritage. Also, since many children in the classroom come from grandparents or great grandparents who lived on ranches, these texts would assist them in knowing about their heritage.

It is our Grandmother Tressa who said that her grandmother came alone with her children to Fort Bridger with a Mormon Wagon Train to meet her husband who was in the military at Fort Bridger, Wyoming. It is good to know about your family and its beginnings.

I feel that Patrick is definitely on the right track with this study.