Discoveries in the San Joaquin Valley Grapevines

About the Book

Leah, a Mexican-American author, shares her childhood memories as a seven-year-old girl when she assisted her older brother Juan-Jose picking grapes in the San Joaquin Valley of California. In order for Leah to help her way through the grapevines, she uses her imagination with the interesting creatures she encounters. She mentally begins to blend familiar insects, such as a caterpillar, grasshopper, dragonfly, bumblebee, butterfly, and one reptile, a lizard into new comical characters of her own. It was her way of working but also using her innovative imagination to help pass the time. The vineyard became her canvas of entertainment. At the end of the day she finishes work with a fun, ingenious twist. This book is a great example of a culturally-specific book where children see themselves, their families, and their values in print, and the classroom develops a multi-cultural focus. Research has shown exposure to multi-cultural books have many enriching benefits for all children to be able to resolve, maintain, and understand cross-cultural relationships and beliefs. This book is also an excellent resource for teaching about agriculture, perseverance, insects, culture, and the repeated phrases encourages language skills for beginning readers.

About the Author

Lydia Alaniz-Gonzalez attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Consumer Family Studies with a minor in English and her Master of Arts degree in Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood from California State University, Fresno. Her Master's dissertation included the study of culturally- specific children's books for beginning readers. Mrs. Gonzalez was born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley of California, and experienced working in the grapevines with her family as a young child. She resides in Clovis, CA where she is presently an AP Psychology HS instructor and is an adjunct instructor at a Community College teaching in the Education department. Moreover, she is a mother to three young children, Kyler, Faith and Kayvella and has been married to Valentin for 15 years. Valentin Gonzalez Jr. graduated with a degree in Building Trades. He is presently a License State Contractor who manages his own design business, Woodview Kitchen Designs. His passion for free-lance drawing became much more prominent after the birth of his son Kyler. Valentin was born in Nuevo Leon, Mexico and raised in the San Joaquin Valley. His drawings captivated his images as a young boy who experienced migrating from his native country to California to work in the San Joaquin Valley Grapevines. He and his wife Lydia reside in Clovis, California, with their three children Kyler, Faith and Kayvella.