Overview
From Follett
Since she left Jamaica for America after her father died, Zettie lives in a car with her mother while they both go to school and plan for a real home.
From the Publisher
Zettie and her Mama left their warm and comfortable home in Jamaica for an uncertain life in the United Sates. With Papa gone, Mama can't find a steady job that will sustain them and so they are forced to live in their car. But Mama's unwavering love, support, and gutsy determination give Zettie the confidence that, together, she and her mother can meet all challenges.Monica Gunning's moving and authentic story about homelessness in an American city was developed with the help of the Homeless Children's Network in San Francisco. Elaine Pedlar's strong and lively illustrations bring the story to life in vibrant chalk pastel.
Product Details
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Publisher:
Children's Book Press, an imprint of Lee & Low Books, Inc.
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Publication Date:
May 1, 2014
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Format:
Paperback
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Edition:
First edition.
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Dewey:
-E-
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Classifications:
Fiction, Easy
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Description:
31 pages : color illustrations ; 26 cm
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Tracings:
Pedlar, Elaine, illustrator.
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ISBN-10:
0-89239-308-4
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ISBN-13:
978-0-89239-308-4
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Follett Number:
0802QQ1
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Reading Level:
3.7
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Audience:
Lower Elementary
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Grades:
Pre-K/K-2
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Ages:
5-8
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Booklist:
Grades K-3
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Publishers Weekly:
Ages 6-up
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School Library Journal:
K-Gr 3
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ATOS Book Level:
3.2
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AR Interest Level:
LG
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AR Points:
.5
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AR Quiz:
78531EN
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Reading Counts Level:
3.2
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Reading Counts Points:
2
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Lexile:
AD560L
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Fountas & Pinnell:
Q
Reviews & Awards
- Book Links, 03/01/04
- Booklist, 04/01/04
- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 04/01/04
- Horn Book Magazine, 10/01/04
- Multicultural Review, 10/01/04
- Publishers Weekly, 02/23/04
- School Library Journal, 05/01/04
Full-Text Reviews
Booklist (April 1, 2004 (Vol. 100, No. 15))
K-Gr. 3. The kids at school call her Junk Car Zettie. After Papa died in Jamaica, Zettie and Mama came to America, where they now live in the city in the backseat of their car, while Mama tries to go to school and also earn money to pay rent for a room. This picture-book brings close the harsh realities of being homeless, scavenging for food, washing in the park rest room, being harassed by police. The illustrations are in an intensely emotional modernist style with exaggerated facial expressions and body language. The strong, black-outlined figures are scary at times, but then so is the nightmarish reality of being without shelter. At the end of the book, Gunning asks kids to get involved in helping the homeless, and many children will want to talk about the idea with adults close to them.
Taken from the Hardcover.
Read all 5 full-text reviews …
Horn Book Guide (Fall 2004)
Zettie and her widowed mom are immigrants from Jamaica; because Mama doesn't have a steady job, they must live in their car, inspiring taunts of Junk Car Zettie! from some school kids. It's unclear how Mama and Zettie would have a car in the first place, but readers will find eye-opening both Gunning's well-chosen details and Pedlar's brooding, expressionistic art.
Taken from the Hardcover.
Library Media Connection (October 2004)
This book tells the story of a mother and daughter who become homeless arriving in America from Jamaica after the death of the husband/father. The mother struggles to find a permanent job while they live in the family car. The story is appealing, told from the daughter's point of view while she wrestles with several issues including shame. The ending is formulaic. The illustrations are bold and colorful, adding meaning to the story, though they are uneven at times. If you need a book on homelessness, this title would lend itself to reading aloud. Additional Selection. Robin Henry, Librarian, Little Elm (Texas) Middle School
Taken from the Hardcover.
Publishers Weekly (February 23, 2004)
The opening of Gunning's (Under the Breadfruit Tree) suspenseful picture book sets the stage for the imperiled existence of a girl and her mother who live in their car. Newcomer Pedlar uses the color red, emanating from a police car's lights, to flood the spread with the urgency of sirens blaring, as the mother attempts to shield her child; the mother's wide-eyed expression conveys her fear and concern for the child. A palpable affection between mother and daughter infuses the text and provides reassurance to readers as the characters face challenge after challenge. In the mornings, they use the rest room in a park before Zettie sets off to school and her mother goes in search of a job; at night, the woman reads a library book to Zettie in the back of their car. The girl's classmates call her "Junk Car Zettie," and as she attempts to flee the bullies she becomes separated from her mother. The reunion between mother and child makes clear their gratitude for each other, and the promise of a new job and a place to live ends the book on a hopeful note. Pedlar's use of somber colors and generous white space effectively depicts the girl's sense of isolation and sadness, but the stylized characterizations take on a cartoonish quality with their clashing colors and exaggerated, often distorted facial features. Unfortunately, children may wind up viewing homeless people as alien or strange beings unlike themselves. Ages 6-up. (Feb.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Taken from the Hardcover.
School Library Journal (May 1, 2004)
K-Gr 3-After her father died, eight-year-old Zettie and her mother left Jamaica in search of education and a better life in America. They now live in an old car. Zettie's daily routine includes waking up to blaring sirens and flashing lights, washing in cold water in a park rest room, being bullied by boys at school, and feeling hungry and resentful. Spending time with a friend who is also homeless, and a reassuring encounter with a concerned policeman bring comfort at crucial moments, but the girl's life is not an easy one. Not since Maurice Sendak's We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy (HarperCollins, 1993) has a picture book dealing with homelessness maintained such emotional intensity. The illustrations call to mind images by Georges Rouault. Pedlar's figures are defined with thick black lines; exaggerated features and the expressionistic use of color accentuate the family's suffering. In the end, Mama's successful day helping at a Health Fair and the promise of a job lead to a bed and shower in a motel-and hope. Children will be moved by Zettie's plight and relieved that there are options.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Taken from the Hardcover.
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