Pam Ryan Munoz
 

By: Madison Johnston, Natalie Miller and Jill Fischer

 

Biography

            Pam Munoz Ryan was born and raised in Bakersfield, California.  She attributes her multicultural writing to her family who was an “ethnic smorgasbord”.  She always had a love for reading. This continued into her college career at San Diego State University, where she decided to become a teacher.  The teaching job eventually turned into an administration job.  When a colleague asked for help writing a book she says, “That’s when I discovered what I really wanted to do with my life.”  After countless rejections from children’s publishers, Ryan finally set up a literary agent contract that still exists with Kendra Marcus.  Marcus works with Bookstop Literary Agency.

             

 

Quotes from the Author

“You never have to get over it you just have to get on with it.”

            -Pam Munoz Ryan, Paint the Wind

 

“There is no rose without thorns.”

            Pam Munoz Ryan

 

“We are like the phoenix,” said Abuelita. “Rising again, with new life ahead of us.”

            -Pam Munoz Ryan, Esperanza Rising

 

“Wait for the fruit to fall into your hand.”

            -Pam Munoz Ryan, Esperanza Rising

 

“How many others were walking around and not even knowing that someone far away cared for them? Imagine all that love floating in the air, waiting to land on someone’s life!”

            -Pam Munoz Ryan, Becoming Naomi Leon

 

Resources

 

Interview with Pam Munoz Ryan - video interview with Pam Munoz Ryan

 

http://www.pammunozryan.com/ - Pam Ryan’s official website

 

 

Awards

2003 Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children^[3]

2003 Honor Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award.

Riding Freedom, illustrated by Brian Selznick

●     1999–2000 California Young Reader Medal

●     1998 Reading Magic Award for Most Outstanding Books

●     1999 Teacher's Choice Award

●     1999 National Willa Cather Award for Best Young Adult Novel

●     Southern California Center of Literature for Young People, Award of Merit

●     1999–2000 Arizona Young Reader's Award

 

 

 

Major Works

Novels

 

The Dreamer
Paint the Wind
Becoming Naomi Leon
Esperanza Rising
Riding Freedom

 

 

Picture Books

 

Toney Baloney
Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride
When Marian Sang
Mice & Beans
Nacho & Lolita
Our California
Mud is Cake
Hello Ocean
There Was No Snow on Christmas Eve
One Hundred is a Family
The Flag We Love

 

 

 Reflections of major works:

 

1. Hello Ocean

 

The book Hello Ocean was about a little girl who loves to go to the ocean with her family. She talks about how the ocean tastes, feels, and looks. The book is written like a poem and explains the ocean in great detail. The girl talks about the ocean being her best friend and why she feels this way.

 

I thought this book was great because of how it was written and the pictures really fit I think what the author, Pam Ryan was trying to say. I liked how it was written  in a poem because I think it told the story in a different way than most other stories do. Even though the book was written as a poem it really put a picture in your head of what was going on in the story. It made it feel like you were at the ocean and experiencing these feelings that the little girl was talking about.

 

2. Tony Baloney

 

The story Tony Baloney is about a penguin who is the middle child of all girls and he is always getting into trouble. He gets bossed around by his older sister so then he and his stuffed animal get into trouble because they break his mom’s lamp. He doesn't like to play with his two baby sisters because he says they are “exasperating.” Tony Baloney and his stuffed animal named “Dandelion” then go to their secret hiding spot until Tony’s mom and dad come and talk to him and eventually gets him to come out and play again. This time he gets to be the boss for a little bit.

 

I thought this was a good story to read because it was a fun book but yet you could use it or a lesson or reading to your child at home. It is a book that focus’ on the middle child so it would be a good book to read to some students if they are having  trouble with “fitting” into their family. The pictures were colorful and fun to look at and I think it did a good job on reflections what Pam Ryan was writing. After I read the book I read the side where it talks about Pam Ryan and it talked about how she always wanted to be the “boss” and that is why she likes to be an author because it is the only thing she can be the “boss “of which are her characters.

 

3. Esperanza

Esperanza so far has lived a life full of leisure. Living on large ranch owned by her father she has become accustomed to the lifestyle where help is always in the house in the fields until one day when tragedy struck in her family.  Her father his tragically killed by the wild bandits roaming from the open in Mexico. When Esperanza and her mother hear of his death it isn't the last of their bad news. The land of the ranch now is left in the hands of Esperanza’s greedy and controlling uncle.  Her uncle wants to use her mother to further himself in his political career of being mayor.  When her mother refuses to marry him things continue to get worse for Esperanza and her mother when their house is burned to the ground taking all the grapes and roses in its path. Esperanza and her mother must find a new way to make ends meet in this world.  They decide to run away with some old workers of their work on the migrant farms in southern California.  Esperanza finds herself living in a completely different lifestyle than what she ever imagined as poor immigrants in land full of English speaking people.

 

I thought Esperanza Rising did a great job comparing and contrasting different lifestyles that people in our world experience. It also shows people to be thankful for all that they have because it could be gone just as fast as it came. Esperanza learned to appreciate life and her relationships with people than the material things that money can buy.