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In a slim tribute that focuses exclusively on their victories, Brown (My Name Is Celia/Me Llamo Celia, 2004, etc) recaps the childhoods and linked careers of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. Though the size of the challenges they faced and magnitude of what they accomplished doesn’t come through as clearly here as in Kathleen Krull’s Harvesting Hope (2003, illustrated by Yuyi Morales), by giving Huerta equal time in the spotlight the author rights a longstanding imbalance in how the struggles of the United Farm Workers have been presented to young readers. Cepeda can be counted on to crank up the energy of any text he illustrates, and here he really enlivens the narrative by highlighting the extreme contrast between Chavez’s quiet, steady presence and Huerta’s larger-than-life personality. Scenes of protest alternate with scenes of companionable planning around kitchen tables, giving a great sense of the partnership. A Spanish translation runs beneath and alongside the English-language text, and the lengthy afterword (with photo) is also presented in both languages. (Picture book/biography. 7-9)
