Donald Crews’ Shortcut
This was a really cute little “moment” memoir; I really loved the pictures in this one and the realistic nature of the children in the story. The foreshadowing used to create suspense really makes the story very intense, as does the intensity of the colors, especially the use of black. I also really like the use of the “klak-klakity-klak” to demonstrate the sound of the train very effectively. The only issue I had with reading this book is that it really left me wanting more, as if there was a lot of build-up, but no intense climax. However, I guess in this type of memoir story that makes sense to leave it that way. And, of course, you can really see the lesson that this “slice of life” is intending to teach children, too.
Patricia Polacco’s My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother
This was a really cute story about sibling rivalry. I have had similar sibling conflicts throughout my childhood being the middle child of three girls… So, just like the children in the Espinosa article, I felt that I could come up with many personal experiences to relate to this story. The stock character of the mean older sibling really could be something that many children could relate to and use to inspire them to write their own stories. In fact, I’m thinking of writing a short little memoir story about my older sister after reading this one. Oh, and I love how the competition conflict is somewhat resolved between the girl and her brother after her merry-go-round accident – It was a really cute way to end the story. 
Carmen Lomas Garza’s Family Pictures
This was my favorite of these three to read. I really loved the snippets of memory that Garza shares. They are so real and so vivid in several ways. She really draws you into her memory, even if you have no familiarity with the culture that she shares. I love how you could spend a long time investigating all of the different happenings in each painting. You could even use these kinds of pictures as inspiration for fiction writing for students as well as inspiration for their own personal memoir vignettes. Having the story in English and in Spanish adds a lot to this book, as well. Children probably love to be exposed to bits of another language along with a different culture, and I think it is very important to expose children to as many different cultures at as young an age as possible. I particularly liked learning about the cactus on pages 14-15, and I love the scene wear the family is making tamales on pages 22-23. Her pictures and descriptions use so many different kinds of imagery: sight, smell, touch, sound, even taste (the watermelon!), and she really draws you into the feelings and emotions of each scene, as well. I love the last selection about dreaming for the future - what a brilliant way to end this great story.
