I absolutely love Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson. It is the story of CJ and his grandmother taking the bus on a Sunday afternoon. We don’t know where they are going until the end (which is a very sweet surprise, so I won’t ruin it), but most of the book is about the journey and the community on the bus. CJ’s grandmother helps him to see the good, the exciting, and the beauty in the mundane.
My favorite part of the story is this:
He reached for his Nana’s hand.
“How come it’s always so dirty over here?”
She smiled and pointed to the sky.
”Sometimes when you’re surrounded by dirt, CJ,
you’re a better witness for what’s beautiful.”…
He wondered how his nana always found beautiful where he never even thought to look.
Can I just say that I want to be just like CJ’s grandma?
And if you didn’t believe me about our love for my last book recommendation, I snapped this picture this morning. My son and his Dino were reading about the goldfish and once again so worried about whether they got the right fish!
Even so, it’s a fun read.