Becoming Naomi Leon: 'Naomi, I believe I feel like a clean, fluffed sheet on a bed-making day."

Author: Pam Munoz Ryan
Illustrator:
Publisher and date of publication: Scholastic Inc., 2004
Genre: Fiction, Multicultural
Grade Level: 3-4

Becoming Naomi Leon is a wonderful story about a young girl trying to find her identity and place in the world. Naomi Leon lives with her brother Owen and gram in Lemon Tree, California. Their home is inside Baby Beluga a mobile home that resides in Avocado Acres Trailer Park. Naomi was raised by her great-grandmother. She is a quite girl with not too many friends and who has a hard time standing up for herself. Gram is a spunky old lady that spends most of her time taking care of her great grandchildren and spending time with her friend Fabiola. Owen is a boy with a great spirit but has been diagnosed as and FLK, a funny looking kid. Naomi enjoys soap carving and keeping list while her brother finds comfort in wearing strips of tape on her shirt. This year in school Naomi makes a friend named Blanca. Blanca is the exact opposite of Naomi making them a perfect match. As the story unfold Naomi's mother suddenly reappears after seven years. At first Naomi doesn't know what to think. Her mother is buying her new clothes and treating her like a real daughter. Then Skyla's secrets are soon revealed. Naomi learns that her mother has been in and out of rehabs and has started drinking again. On Thanksgiving Skyla brings Clive, her boyfriend over to the house. They express how they want Naomi to come and live with them and Clive's daughter in Las Vegas. Naomi is devastated and doesn't know what to think. One day after Owen's doctor’s appointment Skyla tries to get Naomi to leave with her, you see she doesn't want Owen. When Naomi argues with her, her mother slaps her. Naomi and Owen run out the house and down the street to Fabiola and Bernardo's where gram is at and they know they will be safe. Over the next couple day’s gram devises a plan to get temporary custody of the children and take them on an unexpected trip to Mexico. On the way to Mexico gram explains things to Naomi. She tells her about the temporary custody and how they will stay gone until their court hearing. Also, gram mentions that while in Mexico they are going to try and find her father Santiago, who at one time wanted them but Skyla wouldn't allow it. While in Mexico Naomi quickly begins to learn about her Mexican roots. At first they have no luck finding her father until The Night of the Radishes. Once they meet their father Naomi learns even more about her love of carving and her native background. Naomi wants to stay in Mexico with gram and Santiago however her father explains to her that her home is in Lemon Tree and now that they have been reunited nothing can keep them apart. Once back in California they go to court. In court her mother act's very grown-up and Naomi knows that she is putting on a show. After reviewing evidence, talking with both parties and finding out that Skyla only want’s one child but not both, the judge awards gram with full custody. Naomi, Owen and gram couldn't be happier. They continued living their wonderful life in Lemon Tree.

This book touched my heart. I instantly felt like I was a part of the Outlaw clan. The book was filled with wonderful and unique characters, I don't feel like I have ever met any quite like them. One of my person loves of the books was all the neat and quirky little saying that gram and them had to explain their feelings. I quoted one at the top but another that I liked was "were going to weather this. Let's plant plenty of sunshine in our brains" and "gram got a bee in her bonnet because she thought the winner didn't hold a candle to our entry." There were many more those are just to name a few. I just love the idea of expressing yourself in such an unusual way. It really makes it more meaningful and seems to hold a better perspective no matter what the situation. Another aspect of the book that I adored was the idea of "thinking positive". What a great way to teach your students the benefits of thinking positive about life and how it plays out in the end. Thinking positive is something that we all struggle with at times and this book is a great reminder of why it is so important. Naomi faced a lot of decisions and new life experiences over the course of a couple months. She had to look deep inside her heart to figure out what to do and how to handle these different situations. She showed so much courage for a young girl that I think she would make a great role model to students. When it comes to incorporating multiculturalism I think that this author did a great job for the story she was telling. We knew from the beginning that Naomi was half Mexican but that it was not a prominent thing in her life. Taking the trip to Mexico and being introduced to the culture, traditions, food, music and people changed Naomi. The author had her experience a part of her that had been missing and made it the missing link in her life. The author showed the reader just enough about Naomi’s culture to not overwhelm them but to include them in this learning, discovering and exploring process. It was so tasteful and eventful that I myself would love to go to Mexico and experience it from her point of view, attend the radish festival and participate in all of their Christmas festivities. What was so neat was how most of the stuff that she learned while in Mexico really helped to explain who Naomi was and why she felt the way she did. The author integrated Mexico into Naomi so naturally that once you read the story you knew it was meant to be. For example her love for carving, she learned how the Leon family having been carving in the festival for over a hundred years and that was one of the things they were known for. This part of her became so much of her story and her connection to her long lost father. It was amazing how something as simple as a hobby for soap carving could turn into a family history, a legend. All in all the book was fabulous and I can't wait to read it again.

In the classroom I would love to do a number of things with this book. First of all I would like to have my students explore all the unusual quotes that gram and Naomi use throughout the book to describe what they are feeling. I would have them discuss what those quotes are saying to them and what emotions they express. Then I would have them explore their family and culture to gather quotes that their family uses to express themselves and have them share what feeling they convey when they use them and why. I think this gives people the opportunity to learn about their own culture and other unique families. How fun would it be to then hang some of them up around the classroom and have the students use the quotes instead of negative words or really basic positive words. Another thing that would be fun is to learn more about Mexico. Learn more about the festival and Christmas traditions and then explore other countries Christmas traditions. If your students could go to any type of festival what would it be and why? Then have them look it up and see if that kind of festival exists and have them do a report on it. I think this book provides so many opportunities to explore other cultures, so have fun with it.