The Upside Down Boy
El nino de cabeza
Book Information
Title: The Upside Down Boy/ El nino de cabeza
Author: Juan Felipe Herrera
Illustrator: Elizabeth Gomez
Genre: Bilingual Picture Book
Topic: patience and time will help find your place
About this book
This book is about a boy whose family settles down in a new village so he is able to attend school for the first time. At school Juanito feels out of place and misses the country life they left behind. He does things backwards from the other students and is confused with the new language. With the help of teachers, family and new friends he finds his voice and begins to enjoy school and all that comes with his new life.
Author
The author of this book is Juan Felipe Herrera. Juan wrote this book as his memoir of his own personal experience of his family settling down and being able to go to school for the first time. Juan has many talents including poet, cartoonist, writer and performer. He has produced at least twenty-one works of literature in his time.
Illustrator
Elizabeth Gomez is the illustrator of this book. This is the first children's book that she has gotten the opportunity to illustrate. Elizabeth is a native of Mexico City and enjoys using exquisite and bright colors.
Genre
The upside down boy is considered to be a bilingual picture book for children. The book is written in both English and Spanish languages throughout the entire story. This was interesting and fun to read through. The illustrations help to enhance the story and explain details about the culture, characters and setting.
Theme
With time and patience you will find your place. This is demonstrated by the main character throughout the book. At first he does not feel he belongs and sees himself as an outsider. With patience and time he finds what he is good at and finds his place in the classroom. He learns to enjoy school and all it has to offer.
Reading Level
This book is a good reading level for 3rd grade and up
Inclusion Criteria
Cultural Character
Throughout the book the names used for the characters were very authentic to the culture it was representing. Some character names included Juanito, Papi,and Mr. Andasola. The characters move from jobs that would be authentic for the culture. Throughout the book the characters treat each other and speak with one another in a manner that is authentic to their culture and background.
Diverse Language
This book is written in both English and Spanish languages. Throughout the English portions things are pronounced or said with a spanish accent. I found this to be interesting and added to the cultural authenticity of the book. For example when they move they live on Juniper street, the book shows that the family pronounces it "Who-nee-purr". The culture the family is from is never talked about but just perceived as normal. I liked that the book still wrote in normal English but added little hints of culture within the print.
Illustrations
The illustrations in this book were incredible and very interesting. The pictures followed with the spanish culture and used bright colors and many details. Added in the illustrations were little hints and pieces of the culture they came from. The characters in the book are demonstrated well through the illustrations. Details associated with the culture and background are incorporated within the characters themselves and their surroundings.
Illustrations From The Book
Lesson Plan
Common Core Standard
CCSSELA-Literacy.RL.3.2- Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
Objectives
The student will be able to recount main parts of the story
The student will be able to identify the theme or message of the story
Lesson Idea
- The lesson will begin by having the students brainstorm a time they may have felt left out or lonely. This could be at school, home, summertime, or others they may think of. Have the students think about how this made them feel, what they did to fix the situation, and what may have helped them along the way.
- We will then, as a class, read the book "The upside down boy" in the reading corner of the classroom. While reading the teacher will ask questions about the culture, the boys situation at school, and how the other kids treat each other.
- When the teacher is finished reading the book the students will be dismissed to return to their seats. The students will then be asked to fill out a six box story retell worksheet. On the worksheet the students will write characters in the story, setting, culture being portrayed and what happened in the story.
- The teacher will then remind the students about the stories they came up with at the beginning of the lesson about being left out and lonely. The teacher will ask the students and have a class discussion about how their stories related to the main characters problems at school. How were they similar? How were they different?
- The teacher will then have the students write on the back of their worksheet what they think is the moral of the story. The students can write it out, add a picture, or give examples. When the students are done the teacher will ask for some examples and talk about them with the class. The students will then turn the worksheet in.
Selections From The Book
page one by kshowa
Citation
Herrera, J.F.,& Gomez, E. (2000). The Upside down Boy: El nino de cabeza. San Francisco: Children's Book Press/Libros para ninos.