Rose’s Comments (group member since Jan 21, 2018)

Rose’s comments from the Munoz Ryan author study group.

My heart dropped when Esperanza realized that her money orders were missing. She had worked so hard earning that money. I did think that Miguel took the money since he left in such a hurry. I didn't understand why he took it but as I read on I did come to the conclusion that he was going to help bring Abuelita to Esperanza. I was so happy to see Mama get better and be reunited with Esperanza as well. When Abuelita came off the bus I was so happy that everyone was brought back together. What a surreal moment for them. I do think that Esperanza is comfortable with where she is especially since her family is back together. She was able to hear the Earth again which I think means she has come to peace with her life. I am also curious if Esperanza and Miguel end up getting married. It was interesting to read the author's notes and see why Pam Munoz Ryan wrote this story.

"Hello Ocean" by Pam Munoz Ryan is so well written that before I would show my students the amazing illustrations I would have them make their own pictures in their head and see what kinds of feelings or connections they would have as I read the story to them. I would then use this book to help teach the five senses. The way Munoz Ryan describes the ocean makes the reader feel like they can see, hear, touch, feel and taste the ocean. It really gives you the experience like you are at the ocean. It would be a great mentor text for writing as well. There are some vocabulary words that I would discuss to help my students have a better understanding. "Hello Ocean" is also a rhyming book so that could be another teaching point.

"The Crayon Book" by Pam Munoz Ryan can be used for a math lesson. It teaches even and odd numbers. At first the book counts by 2's to 24 and then does the odd numbers to 23. The numeral and number words are on each page which helps reinforce identifying the numbers. "The Crayon Book" would also be great to use for a writing lesson. The crayons are illustrated from different perspectives. This would be a great lesson about how objects look differently depending on how we are looking at them. There are some great vocabulary words to discuss, rhyming words, and primary colors to name a few other ideas that this book could be used for.

"One Hundred is a Family" by Pam Munoz Ryan is about families and how families can grow and can be different. It starts off by counting up from 1 to 10 then after 10 it skip counts by 10s to 100. It has rhyming within the book which gives it a nice rhythm when reading. At the end it brings in the importance of everyone taking care of the earth to make it better for everyone. I read this book to my class and had them decorate a shamrock to show how their family is special and unique.

Esperanza has realized that she needs to work to help support her family especially since Mama got so sick. She is still struggling with how much her life has changed which is very understandable. I was sad when she said she would cry in silence before she would go to sleep. She has been through so much from losing her father and home, leaving her Abuelita and now having her Mama get sick. That must be so hard for her to not to be able to see her Mama in the hospital as often as she wants to. The part where she did her Mama's hair in the hospital was a beautiful moment. I am hoping that Esperanza's mom will get better soon, and Abuelita is able to make it to the US. I think that she will be able to feel the heartbeat of the earth again and feel that connection to her Papa. Once this happens I think she will be at peace with her life.

Esperanza is a privileged girl that loves her family. It was so sad to see her lose her father whom she admired so much. I was saddened to see her uncles be so heartless. It's disgusting that they didn't even give Esperanza and her mom time to grieve and get their feet back under them after such a huge loss. I couldn't imagine watching my house go up in flames and losing so many memories and objects that mean so much to me. It was very obvious that she was devastated to leave the land that she grew up on and worried that she was leaving her father behind. Esperanza is struggling with these changes in her life especially her status change. I am glad that her mom is being a great role model for her. I think that Esperanza will follow in her mom's actions and will make the best out of this unfortunate situation they are in.

Wow! What a well written book with an ending that ties everything together! I was happy that all of the characters came together at the end and played in the final concert. The parts that surprised me was that Elisabeth was Kenny's nurse. Also having the harmonica save Kenny from the bullet was something I was not expecting. Pam Munoz Ryan really knows how to make the reader care for her characters and become invested in their stories.

I was sad to read that the Yamamato house was graffiti-ed. They had put a lot of time and effort to improve the house so to see that ruined was deflating. I think that Mr. Lopez was right on the importance of cleaning the house up before Kenny got home. Kenny has been through enough that seeing his house like that would have been hard for him.
At first, I was surprised to see that the hidden room had musical instruments. But as I continued to read it does makes sense because music has been such a big part of the book.
I am worried that the letter the boy on the bike is bringing is bad news about Fernando. I hope that it is not.
I am excited to read the last part of this book to see how all of the parts end. I am also curious to see how the prologue with Otto and the three sisters will be tied in.

Wow that had to be hard for Ivy going to a different school than her new friend Susan. I think the worse part was that she didn't even know this was happening. It must have been confusing for Ivy because she sees herself as an American and she is able to speak English. The fact that she was ahead with her schooling at her previous school and now is set back in her education would be so frustrating for a young girl.
I don't think that the Yamamato's are spies or anything is hidden in their house.
Unfortunately, I think there still are people that are suspicious of certain groups because of physical characteristics.

I was happy to see that Mr. Howard wanted to keep Mike and Frankie together instead of separating them. The previous family saw them as trouble makers and was really just wanting workers. I was sad to hear about Mrs. Sturbridge's loss. It was nice to see her start to make a connection with the boys. I really think that the papers Mike found were drawn up before she made a connection with them.
Mike wanting to make sure that Frankie was given a stable life especially since he didn't know his mom really pulled on my heart strings. It really shows that he was willing to put his brother's well-being in front of his own. I was glad that the brothers ultimately stayed together. I really hope that Mike is okay from his fall from the tree.
Music is the common theme throughout the book. I like how Ryan writes about diversity because it really gets the reader emotionally invested in the story and the characters. I am not a fan of the big cliff hangers, yet once it is all tied back together (or at least I hope it is) I have a feeling that I will feel differently.

I definitely felt like Freidrich's story was left with a big cliff hanger. I am curious to see how all of these stories come together.
I immediately felt for Mike and Frankie living in the orphanage. I love how close these brothers are and how they are fighting to stay together. I think that the harmonica is the same one that Fredriech had because it had the letter M on it. I hope the boys get adopted together.
Some similarities are the characters love of music and their strong bonds with their families is what ties these stories together so far. They have all gone through loss at a young age and are trying to navigate their way through some very difficult situations.

I agree, I don't think his father meant any trouble. I think he was focused on playing music and helping Friedrich eventually audition for music school. When religion came up he seemed to be very uncomfortable. I think Anselm is just trying to get people to the meetings.

I am worried for Friedrich with how this first part ended. I wish that he would have been able to control himself from conducting. I can't and don't want to imagine what it must have been like to live during this time. The happy ending person in me wants him to reunite with his family but I am scared he might become a victim of Hitler.

I am wondering whose hands the harmonica will end up in next.

I think that it was a good choice for the father to take Friedrick out of school. I feel like knowing about that time frame he was in great danger and his father seemed to be able to provide him with a safe environment and a good education.
I do think that he was led to the harmonica since he has a deep passion for music. I am excited to see how the harmonica continues to be a big part of this story.
It surprised me that the Nazi's tried to do away with people who had a deformity such as a birthmark.
I believe that Elisabeth feels the pressure to be a supporter of Hitler. I think she wants to fit in since she struggled with having a brother with a birthmark and losing her mother at a young age. I am hopeful that she won't go through the surgery to make herself sterile. I also hope that she finds her way back to her family instead of being a Hitlerite and is able to help her brother.
I am curious what will happen to Friedrick and his dad since they don't believe in what Hitler is saying. I think he will be able to make his dream come true.

This is the first Pam Munoz Ryan book I have read as well. I thought it was clever to use the white pages for Otto's story and the black pages for the fairy tale. I am interested to see how each of the three sisters stories will unfold and how the blank pages will be written. I have a feeling that this book is going to have a lot of twist and turns within it. I am excited to see what happens!

I am a kindergarten teacher in Mandan.