Image Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22521973-last-stop-on-market-street?ac=1&from_search=true
de la Peña, Matt. 2015. Last Stop on Market Street. Ill.
Christian Robinson. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 9780399257742.
PLOT SUMMARY
On Sunday afternoons after attending church, CJ and his
grandmother, Nana, ride the city bus down to Market Street. Along the way, CJ experiences jealousy and
envy of other people whom he perceives to have more than he does. Nana,
instead, offers a different point-of-view, guiding CJ to look for the beauty of
the world around them. When they finally
reach their stop, CJ and Nana walk to the soup kitchen where they spend the
afternoon serving others less fortunate than they are.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The beginning of the story takes place as Nana and CJ leave
the church. The reader knows they are in
a good part of town because the air there “smelled like freedom.” CJ asks his
Nana why they do not have a car and must ride the bus to which she states that
they do not need one, and then gives two benefits of taking the bus for CJ to
consider.
After they board the bus, the first sentence on the next
page states, “They sat right up front.”
The image that accompanies this sentence depicts CJ, Nana, and the bus
driver, Mr. Denis, as African American and the rest of the occupants as being
Caucasian. This sentence is a nod to Rosa Parks and the results of her historic
fight for equal rights of African Americans.
Although they sit up front, Nana makes it a point to model good manners
with their fellow passengers with a friendly greeting and smile.
Once again, CJ notices the differences between other boys
who have material things he does not.
Nana is quick to point out the things he does have instead. Each time, her response guides CJ back from
materialism and back toward the importance of the people and relationships in
their life. CJ also wonders, “how his
nana always found beautiful where he never even thought to look.”
The artwork in this story places a significant role because
of the layers of depth and meaning they add to the words. The bright, bold colors utilized throughout
the book represent the dynamic vitality of the various people in each setting. The front and back end pages contain stylized
white images on a dark yellow background.
These stylized images represent the major symbols in the book.
The birch tree is symbolic of Nana, the matriarch, who is
spreading roots of goodwill and compassion through her example of service for
CJ and others. Nana also represents the theme of the hope and beauty in the story. The umbrella is symbolic
of Nana’s attempts to care for and keep CJ safe from harm. The bus is symbolic
of money and represents the difference between those who have it and those who
do not. It is also the vehicle which
takes CJ and Nana to the downtrodden neighborhood and then delivers them back
to the safety of their neighborhood.
The coin is symbolic of the cycle of poverty and the major
role it plays in each person’s life. Trixie’s new hat is a symbol of progress
and the hope that one day she will no longer need the services of the soup
kitchen. The hawks represent freedom and the ability to leave one place for
another. The rainbow represents the hope
that today’s troubles will be left behind tomorrow.
The butterfly jar is symbolic of transformation
and renewal and represents the goodwill and hope Nana and CJ spread by serving
those who visit the soup kitchen. The
service dog is symbolic of care for one another. The blind man’s sunglasses are symbolic of
the human senses and the many layers of existence that can be perceived when
all the senses are used. The guitar is symbolic of the strengths of emotions
and feelings that are often invoked through the gift of music.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Winner of the 2016 Newbery Medal
A 2016 Caldecott Honor Book
A 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
A 2016 Caldecott Honor Book
A 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
From Newbery Medal Committee Chair Ernie J. Cox: “Read it
aloud to someone. The use of language to elicit questions, to spark imagination
and to make us laugh is at its best when spoken.”
From School Library Journal: “But while plot and character are
solid, theme is really the area where I think this book shines the brightest.
Nana is such a wonderful character– “[CJ] wondered how his nana always
found beautiful where he never even thought to look”–and she is the pulsing
heart of this book, thematically. She’s the real deal.”
From Horn Book: “This quietly remarkable book will
likely inspire questions of a sort less practical-minded than CJ’s; it will
also have some adult readers reaching for a tissue.”
CONNECTIONS
Barnhill, Kelly. The Girl Who Drank the Moon. ISBN 9781616205676
Bell, Cece. El Deafo. ISBN 9781419712173
Collect Caldecott Award
books to read such as:
Castillo, Lauren. Nana in the City. ISBN 9780544104433
Collect other Matt de
la Peña books to read such as:
Love. ISBN 9781524740917
Use in a Social Studies unit on poverty, welfare, and social
services.
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