The Power of Positive Thinking

Title: Becoming Naomi Leo’n
Author: Ryan, Pam Munoz
Publisher and Date: Scholastic, Inc., 2004
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Multicultural
Age Range: 4th-6th

Summary:

Naomi Soledad Leo’n Outlaw lives in a in a small trailer named “Baby Beluga” in Avocado Acres Trailer Rancho in Lemon Tree, California. She lives with her Great-Grandmother, Gram, and her younger brother, Owen. Naomi and Owen have been raised by Gram ever since their mother, “Skyla” dropped them off as young children when she went “to find herself.” Naomi is the narrator of the story and she shares her life with the reader throughout the book. You read of her struggle to be accepted at school. How the boys make fun of her last name Outlaw and call out “have you robbed any banks lately?” or “Is this a stickup?” She is an outcast with the girls in her school as well, because she is quiet and looks different. Her father is from Mexico and her mother is from America, so she is darker that most of the girls in her class. She has even heard one girl refer to her as “trailer trash.” Naomi doesn’t complain much about her life, however, because Gram has taught her to be a positive thinker and a believer in self prophecy. When she asks Gram what to do about the teasing boys, Gram says to write “Those boys will not bother me” over and over again until she believes it. Naomi’s brother, Owen also has trouble fitting in at school. He was born with a deformity that even after several surgeries has left his head leaning slightly to the side and pointed down. He is picked on at school as well for his unusual habit of wearing strips of tape on his shirt every day.


Naomi and Owen’s lives changes dramatically one day when their mother, Terri Lynn, (or Skyla as she now wants to be called) returns to town. She shows up at the doorstep on “Wednesday chicken bake” after being absent for seven years. Naomi knows nothing about her mother’s past except that she dates a tattoo artist name Clive, and she is an alcoholic who has been in and out of rehab and halfway houses for years. Skyla wants to take Naomi to live with her and Clive in Los Angles and to be a big sister to Clive’s daughter Sapphire. Naomi tells her mother no and receives a slap in the face for her “bad attitude.”


Naomi, Gram, Owen, Fabiola, Bernardo (their family friends), and “Baby Beluga” escape from Skyla and travel to Oaxaca, Mexico in search of Naomi and Owen’s father. They arrive in Mexico five days later to stay with Fabiola’s sister’s family. Naomi enjoys Mexico very much, and believes with all of her heart that they will find their father. On the night of the Festival of the Radishes (La Noche de los Rabanos), Naomi and her family finally come face to face with her father. After many tears, hugs, kisses, and promises to visit later it is time for Naomi and her family to head back to California for their custody court hearing against Skyla. In court, Naomi faces her fears and bravely tells the court her story loudly and truthfully. In the end, the court decides to grant Gram custody of Owen and Naomi and their lives will never be the same. Naomi has become brave, embraced her individuality, and finally lived up to her name “Naomi the lion.” She has many great years ahead of her to look forward to with Gram, Owen, her father, and faithful neighbors and friends.

Response:

Wow, is all I can say about this book. I wasn’t initially sure I was going to connect with this book, but after the first chapter, I was already falling in love with the characters and the setting. I loved how each character was so true to life, and how the setting was a down home friendly place where anyone one would be lucky to live.

Naomi was one of my favorite characters. She went through so much in this story. As an adolescent girl she is struggling to fit in a culture that tends to be unkind to anyone it considers “different.” She is teased by the boys because of her “different” last name, and she is shunned by the girls because she looks “different.” I love the way Gram tells Naomi to deal with these problems; she teaches Naomi the power of positive thinking and self prophecy. If you are positive about something and keep telling yourself something then and begin to work toward it, then one day undoubtedly it will happen. I loved this lesson so much that I chose it for the tile of my entry. This is such a positive message for us all. When faced with adversity, we need to remember that we can only control our actions and our thinking, not others. This book will also give students an inside look at what it feels like to be teased. Naomi had dreams, hopes, and talents, just like us all. Maybe the next time a student begins to tease someone they will think of Naomi Leo’n and remember not only how hurtful it is, but also how alike we all really are.

Mr. Marble, the librarian, is also one of my favorite characters. He is such a good example of the difference one caring adult can make in a child’s life. He gave the outsiders at school a place where they could belong. He showed them they were special by nicknaming them his lunch club kids. He always listened to Naomi and had something positive to say. He encouraged her, helped her find books to read, and even extended to her the special honor of displaying her soap carving in the display case during open house. He gave her a safe place at school; he cared and that truly made a difference.

Gram and Santiago Leon (Naomi’s father) are my other two favorite characters. I loved Gram for her faithfulness and dedication to her grandchildren. She taught them so many positive life lessons, gave up her “golden years” for them, and provided for them in the best way that she could. Santiago is also special to me, because even when he thought he could not be a part of his children’s lives, he never abandoned them. He wanted them, and sent money to help support them. Many students could be ale to relate well to this story, because they too could have experienced this scenario. This is such a great story, because it shows that a family is not just a mom, dad, and kids; a family is any group people who love, support, and care for one another unconditionally.

Listed here are the criteria for good multicultural literature from the Temple Textbook:
· Do the author and illustrator present authentic perspectives?
· Is the culture portrayed multi-dimensionally?
· Are the cultural details naturally integrated?
· Are details accurate and is the interpretation current?
· Is language used authentically?


When I think of good multicultural literature I think of the analogy given in our Temple Text of windows and mirrors. “Mirrors let them (children) see reflections of their own lives; windows let them see other’s lives.” I think this is such an important part of multicultural literature; for a book to truly be good it must first be truthfully representative of the culture it portrays and second it must be engaging and teach about that culture. I think that Becoming Naomi Leon definitely qualifies as good multicultural literature. Pam Munoz Ryan gives us such wonderful insider perspective into to the culture using her own background as a springboard. She represents this part of her heritage very accurately. I definitely think the Mexican culture is represented authentically throughout the book. Mexican customs, celebrations, and speech (such as the Spanish words and translations) are integrated into the book without taking away from the flow of the story. Family is another theme that is emphasized in the story. This is very important to the Mexican culture; usually Hispanic families are close knit families that can count on each other for anything and everything. Families are not only part of the Mexican culture though; families are universal and can give students a good reference point for the story. I also think that the story portrays the culture multidimensionally. It shows a quite a variety of people who don’t think or act the same. They share similar customs and beliefs but they undeniably unique. The book also doesn’t stereotype Mexican Americans. One common stereotype we place on them is that we see them as all wanting to come to America. In this story, quite the opposite occurs. Mexico, specifically Oaxaca, is represented as such an inviting place that Naomi yearns to live there. All in all Becoming Naomi Leo’n is such a good book for students to read. It opens children’s eyes to a new cultural perspective and allows them to be empathetic to others who are different from themselves.

Here are some of the cultural markers in Becoming Naomi Leo’n:
Noche de Rábanos
las posadas
Carving: soap carving, wood carving, and radish carving
Food: mole, pan dulce, quesillo, pina coco
Close family relationships
Spanish Language
Piñatas
Nuestra Senora de la Soledad


Teaching Ideas:
I would definitely read this book with students. I would encourage them to immerse themselves in the culture; I would bring in food to try, share information about the celebrations mentioned in the story, and maybe even let them try their hand at soap carving. I would also encourage my students to imagine what it would be like to live in a foreign culture. They could write a journal article expressing their thoughts and comparing their reaction to Naomi’s.