Last Stop on Market Street

Book: De la Pena, M. (2015). Last stop on market stop. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Son.

Summary:             A boy and his grandmother take a trip across town every Sunday after church. The boy complains about this weekly trip until his grandmother shows him how to be grateful for his health and life and the value of making connections with people.

Impression:             Everyone can do a good deed, no matter how young or old, rich or poor. The grandmother shows her grandson how to be grateful for friendships, good health and family. She and her grandson are making a difference in the lives of people who have lost so much. The story is lighthearted but thought provoking story about community service. The grandmother shows the grandson how to make connections with people in his community. She teaches him that even small connections like greetings and smiles can touch other’s lives and enrich one’s own life. The ending is a surprise to heartwarming moment to readers. The grandmother is teaching by example and not just lecturing.               The illustrations are simple and bold, but show enough detail for readers to recognize a city scape, inside of a bus and emotions on faces. The characters are not simply stick figures, but show modern choices, like the man with the tattoos, lady texting on her phone and a teen with ear buds. The pictures show people of diverse backgrounds, including a blind man, a wheelchair bound man and a homeless person with his dog in a shopping cart. The main message that comes through from the pictures is that people are people first, beyond their labels.

Library use:              This is a great opening to talking about community service projects. Students could work in pairs and research a community service project that already exists or invent a new project based on their interests. I would use this approach with upper elementary or middle school students.