WILLIE VELASQUEZ DAY
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=YXN6B4LCTVA
STORIES HAVE POWER
The Alamo
World War II
The Holocaust
STORIES CAN CHANGE A CHILD’S LIFE
A COLLABORATION
Barbara Renaud Gonzalez, MSW, Writer,
Journalist, Witness
Deborah Kuetzpal Vasquez, MFA, Visual
Artist
Kaye Cruz, Instructional Designer
joey lopez, Ph.D, Convergent Media
Consultant
We represent who latinos
are in this country
http://www.mysanantonio.com/lifestyle/articl
e/Hometown-hero-4813182.php
I WANTED TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT A HERO WHO LOOKED LIKE US
https://tinakugler.squarespace.com/blog/2013/6/28/illustration-friday-equality
“As Demographics Shift, Kids' Books Stay
Stubbornly White” by Elizabeth Blair - NPR
http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/06/25/193174358/as-demographics-shift-kids-books-stay-stubbornly-white
BOOKS ARE
The stories of the
wisdom of life
What we’re learning in our
schools is not the wisdom
of life.
While the whole living world is
informed by
Consciousness.
Instead, publishers
offer:
Entertainment. And Texas
Board of Education offers:
Testing
AND WE GOT OUR FIRST REVIEW
Gainer, J. (January 01, 2014). “The boy made of lightning": Examining 21st century texts through a
critical sociocultural lens. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 57, 7, 533-536.
WE WORKED FOR YEARS ON THIS STORY
Me and Deborah Vasquez
THE COMMUNITY CAME THROUGH
Congressman Joaquin Castro and Jimmy Klein
Joaquin Castro Narrates
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhN_P5hOdng
WE HAD TO PROMOTE OUR OWN BOOK
TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL
2014
M E X I C A N - A M E R I C A N
C E N T E R O N
M A Y
9 ,
2 0 1 4
C U L T U R A L
WE RECOGNIZE THAT SAN ANTONIO HAS THE TALENT
W E F O U N D TA L E N T
EVERYWHERE!
WE EVEN FOUND WILLIE!
WE HAVE SO MANY STORIES TO TELL…
Willie Velasquez
Lydia Mendoza
Americo Paredes
Jovita Idar
Gus Garcia
Manuela Solis Sanger
Willie: 2014
Hardback: 2015
Lydia Mendoza 2016
And
Rosie Castro 2017
STORIES TOLD IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE PEOPLE
With Original Art,
Music, Pop-Ups,
and narrative
Bilingual Glossary
And Curriculum
Guides for Grades
3-5
WE CAN DO THIS TOGETHER
T.E.K.S Grade 1
(2) History. The student
understands how
historical figures, patriots,
and good citizens helped
shape the community,
state, and nation. The
student is expected to:
(A) identify contributions
of historical figures,
including Sam Houston,
George Washington,
Abraham Lincoln, and
Martin Luther King Jr.,
who have influenced the
community, state, and
nation;
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
(2) History. The student
understands the concepts
of time and chronology.
The student is expected to:
(A) describe the order of
events by using
designations of time
periods such as historical
and present
times;(B) apply vocabulary
related to chronology,
including past, present,
and future
(1) History. The student
understands how individuals,
events, and ideas have
influenced the history of
various communities. The
student is expected to:
(A) describe how individuals,
events, and ideas have
changed communities, past
and present;
(5) History. The student
understands important
issues, events, and
individuals of the 20th
century in Texas. The
student is expected to:
(C) identify the
accomplishments of
notable individuals such as
John Tower, Scott Joplin,
Audie Murphy, Cleto
Rodríguez, Stanley
Marcus, Bessie Coleman,
Raul A. Gonzalez Jr., and
other local notable
individuals.
(2) History. The student
understands common
characteristics of
communities, past and
present. The student is
expected to: (C) compare
ways in which various other
communities meet their
needs.
Curriculum Guides by Nancy Valdez-Gainer
SO THAT OUR CHILDREN WILL LEARN
Play by Hillcrest Elementary School
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxn6B4LctVA
WE ARE NOT AFRAID TO IMAGINE
Page 1
I was four years old, and
I wanted to play the guitar.
Page 2
Illustration: image of a little girl facing her mother, who is also a musician, and the grandmother too.
Narrative:
I tried to play my mother’s guitar
But she said no.
Page 3
Illustration: prevailing image should be of music falling from the sky. A little girl might not understand
notes, but she hears the notes falling, like butterflies. Obviously, she’s making a guitar, too.
Narrative:
So then I said to myself “I’m going to make a guitar.”
I wanted to play the songs falling from the stars every night.
So I found a little plank of wood. Six small nails.
Pounded them into the board, three on each end.
Then I hooked up rubber bands from one side to the other.