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
Awards
●
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.
