I Am Sausal Creek/Soy El Arroyo Sausal

by Melissa Reyes, Robert Trujillo (Illustrator), Cinthya Jeanette Muñoz Ramos (Translator)

Overview

Illustrations by Robert Trujillo. Translated from the Spanish by Cinthya Jeanette Muñoz Ramos. Bilingual Edition.

I AM SAUSAL CREEK/SOY EL ARROYO SAUSAL is a bilingual children's book about the environmental and cultural history of Oakland told through the voice of a local waterway, Sausal Creek.

"I love this book. There are so many layers. The illustrations are deceptively gorgeous, because they are also a visual narrative about values. The story is surprisingly easygoing, because it is also a people's history and an environmentalist allegory. And most of all, I AM SAUSAL CREEK is a story about resilience and renewal, which is to say, it is story about Oakland."—Innosanto Nagara, Author/Illustrator, A is for Activist and Counting on Community

"I AM SAUSAL CREEK is a story of redemption. It is the story of one creek in Oakland, California, but it could easily represent thousands of other creeks across the US. I highly recommend this book for both its historical accuracy and message of hope."—Madeleine Dunphy, Web of Life Children's Books

"Environmental justice for children at its best! Reyes captures the essence of Sausal Creek and how it has flowed through time. My third graders absolutely love this book, and it was easy to incorporate into my social studies, science, and writing curriculum."—Seema Patel, Third-grade Teacher

Children's Literature. California Interest.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780996617208
Publisher:	Nomadic Press
Publication date:	08/23/2015
Edition description:	Bilingual
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Melissa Reyes has degrees in environmental justice and education. She has worked as a youth organizer, community worker, and, for eight years, an elementary school teacher. She grew up playing in the many waterways of the San Francisco Bay Area and lives near Sausal Creek in Oakland, California. This is her first book for children.


Robert Trujillo is an author and illustrator from Oakland, California, who grew up around water and loves to tell stories. He was attracted to the flow of I AM SAUSAL CREEK, and he's grateful for the book's offering of a better understanding of the history of Oakland, and why it flows, too.


Cinthya Jeanette Muñoz Ramos is a mama, community organizer, and translator who loves and calls Oakland, California, home. She grew up spending her summers on a mountain top in Mexico, where she was born. She loves spending time with her children in the ocean, rivers, lakes, and walking through oak and redwood forests.