Book Detail

Pearl Moscowitz's Last Stand

Publication Information
Author:  Levine, Arthur A. Illustrator:  Roth, Robert
Title:  Pearl Moscowitz's Last Stand Date:  1993
Publisher:  Tambourine City:  New York
ISBN, paperback:  0-688-10754-0 ISBN, hardback:  

Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes ESOL:  
Family:   Yes Young Adult:  
Picture:   Yes

General Information:
Book Type(s):    fiction

HSE Descriptor(s):   

Summary:
Pearl M., a long-time resident of her city street, refuses to let the city chop down the last gingko tree on the block. The book depicts the different ethnic groups that have moved on the street, but shows a real community of people interacting and living side by side. Although the book is lighthearted and fun, it answers a serious question: Can one person make a difference?

Teaching Ideas:
This multicultural book is fun to read aloud. It may spur good discussions on ways to outwit bureaucracy, on civil disobedience, or on the American mix of cultures. It may inspire good storytelling or creative writing about other similar incidents. The book may work well in a theme of communal responsibility (with, for ex., Miss Rumphius) or the theme of community (with a book like Appalachia: Voices of Sleeping Birds or To Hell With Dying) or the theme of urban life (with An Angel for Solomon Singer). The teacher may want to compare the grandmas to those in Joy Luck Club, and read aloud an excerpt from that book. It may provide an introduction into class involvement in local issues (i.e., letter writing to the city council or mayor) or into an ethnic food fest with recipes written by the students.

Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
bullet Social Studies > anthropology > daily life > food
bullet Geography > environment
bullet Social Studies > sociology > social issues > change
bullet Social Studies > sociology > social issues > civil disobedience
bullet Social Studies > sociology > social issues > social action > activism
bullet Communities > urban > urban living
bullet Heroes and Heroines > ordinary people
bullet Government/Civics > government
bullet Communities > multicultural
bullet Social Studies > sociology > women > heroines


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