Last Stop on the Market

Summary: Last Stop on Market Street is a Fiction children's book intended for children in Pre-Kindergarten through second grade. This story is about a little boy named CJ and his grandma. Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the bus across town. But, CJ wonders why they don't own a car like his friend Colby. Why doesn't he have an iPod like the boys on the bus? How come they always have to get off in the dirty part of town? Each question is met with an encouraging answer from Grandma, who helps him see the beauty and fun in their routine and the world around them.

Personal Thoughts: I believe that Last Stop on Market Street is a lovely, warm picture book, with strong and commendable themes of inter-generational friendship, building community, and finding beauty in unlikely places. And other messages as well: the value of helping the less fortunate, and how to grow up to be a good person. The issues explored in the story blend together, which gives the advantage of promoting conversations that easily flow from one topic to another.

Value of Respect: According to Saint Leo University, "Animated in the spirit of Jesus Christ, we value all individuals’ unique talents, respect their dignity, and strive to foster their commitment to excellence in our work. Our community’s strength depends on the unity and diversity of our people, on the free exchange of ideas, and on learning, living, and working harmoniously." I believe that this book will teach children to respect and accept all people even if they are different from them. The character development and relationship between Nana and grandson is one that many students can relate to. One of the many themes of the book is to respect all people no matter what their circumstance- is one that we would hope to give all of our students at all ages.

Discussion Questions:

What kinds of differences do we see between characters in the book?

In what ways could riding the bus be more fun than riding in a car?

What are some of the differences between what people have/don’t have in the story? Is it fair that the boys have an ipod and CJ doesn’t?

Motivational Activities:

In the book CJ closes his eyes while the man is playing and visualizes many things. I would put on music of a man singing with just a guitar (for example, some of James Taylor's pieces). I will have the students close their eyes and see what they can imagine. I will then have them draw some of the things they saw and explain.

Another activity that I would do (if I had the money and the support) is, send the students home with inexpensive cameras to photograph unexpected beauty. I will have them look at some examples and then give them about a week to explore, take pictures, and create a visual for the class.

If you enjoyed this book, check out some other books written by Matt De La Pena

Some Examples:

Carmela Full of Wishes

LOVE

The Hunted

The Living

Resources:
Peña, M. D., & Robinson, C. (2017). Last stop on Market Street. London: Puffin.

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/310757/last-stop-on-market-street-by-matt-de-la-pena-illustrated-by-christian-robinson/9780399257742/