LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET written by Matt De La Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson

Review by Christi De Leon 

1.    BIBLIOGRAPHY

De La Peña, Matt. Last Stop on Market Street. Ill. by Christian Robinson. New York: G.P.     Putnam’s Sons, 2015. ISBN 9780399257742

2.    PLOT SUMMARY

A young boy named C.J. rides the bus across town with his grandmother, Nana, on Sundays after church. This particular Sunday, it is raining and C.J. is wondering why they must go. On their trip, Nana teaches C.J. how to appreciate their surroundings. They encounter many different people on the bus, and Nana points out the best in each of them. C.J. even gets lost in the rhythm of a guitar player’s song. Once they reach Market Street, they walk the rest of the way to their destination. Once again, Nana shows C.J. the beauty around them. C.J. ends up being glad to visit the neighbors on the other side of town.

3.    CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Along for the bus ride with C.J. and Nana, the reader gets a glimpse into reality with a true perception of diversity. It is impossible not to love Nana’s character. Through her positivity and kindheartedness, she relentlessly leads a curious boy to discover what’s beautiful in life. As a deeper approach, this story truly exemplifies how to instill selflessness in youth and the life-changing impact of a compassionate grandparent. I also particularly loved the use of personification by the author, such as the tree “drinking through a straw” and how the bus “sighed and sagged.”

The illustrations brilliantly complement the story through use of acrylic paint and collage. The bold, bright colors and defined shapes portray the setting as it is described. Subtle details added throughout the story have great symbolic significance to the story, such as the graffiti and the rainbow. I admire the way they wonderfully intertwined words with art as C.J. saw “sunset colors swirling over crashing waves” and “a family of hawks slicing through the sky.”

4.    REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

2016 Newbery Medal

2016 Caldecott Honor Book

2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book

New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book of 2015

Wall Street Journal Best Children’s Book of 2015

From School Library Journal: “The urban setting is truly reflective, showing people with different skin colors, body types, abilities, ages, and classes in a natural and authentic manner…A lovely title.”

From The Horn Book: “De La Peña and Robinson here are carrying on for Ezra Jack Keats in spirit and visual style. This quietly remarkable book will likely inspire questions… it will also have some adult readers reaching for a tissue.”

5.    CONNECTIONS

Gather other Caldecott winning books to read such as:

Mattick, Lindsay. Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear. ISBN 0316324906

Henkes, Kevin. Waiting. ISBN 0062368435

Gather other Matt De La Peña books to read such as:

A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis. ISBN: 0147510619

A Kindergartener’s response:

“I liked that C.J. and Nana were being so kind to others.”

Possible activities:

Discuss the meaning of volunteering, and give students the opportunity to serve their community.

Introduce imagery by playing several pieces of music as students close their eyes. Afterwards, students can share what they imagined during each song.