Becoming Cesar Chavez
Written by Michelle Roman
Photographed by George Elfie Ballis

Out of these conflicting pressures came Poppy Lane Company's new publication, Becoming Cesar Chavez, written by Michelle Roman, with photographs by George Elfie Ballis. The book is designed to appeal especially to children in the elementary grades. The young readers are thus able to empathize with the many difficulties Cesar had to cope with as he grew up in a farm laboring family and gradually came to devote his life to organizing his fellow workers in order to improve their hard way of life.

A unique feature of this book is the way it appeals to the many students who still come from families where Spanish has been the only language spoken at home. The text throughout is rendered in both English and Spanish. Also, the Glossary is in both languages.

For teachers, there is a Study Guide with 10 suggestions for activities related to the book and a Bibliography for additional information.

"This book will provide a valuable resource for teachers. I am confident students will be able to learn a lot about a great American humanitarian."

Paul A. Chavez, Ed. D.
Administrative Analyst
Fresno Unified School District

"One thing you must remember is that people, no matter how disadvantaged, still have the same aspirations as you do, for their children, for their future."

Cesar Chavez

About the author...

The author, Michelle Roman, was born in San Jose, California, and moved to the Sierra foothill town of Avery when she was a small child. She attended California State University, Stanislaus, and earned a degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood Development. Michelle has taught Preschool, Kindergarten, First and Second Grades and nows lives in Kingsburg, California, with her husband John and their two children. She currently works as the Education Outreach Coordinator for Valley Public Television in Fresno, California.

About the Photographer...

George Elfie Ballis is a movement photographer, film maker and community organizer with 50 years experience in social and economic justice groups. His photographs are widely used in books and films on Chicano history. He has produced two other books on Cesar, Remembering Cesar and Dream What We Can Become and Rejoice.