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Inmost cave last book in the universe6/11/2023 ![]() Crossing The ThresholdĬlimbing into the bus, CJ crosses the threshold between the world he is familiar with and that fantastic world which he is not. “Nana gave everyone a great big smile and a ‘good afternoon.’ She made sure CJ did the same.” 5. ![]() She dispels his doubts and fears and gives him the strength and courage to continue his journey. She gives him whatever he needs: wise advice and self-confidence. Meeting The MentorĬJ’s mentor figure is his Nana. Standing at the bus stop, CJ is uncomfortable.“How come we gotta…?” he complains to his Nana. Call To AdventureĬJ’s adventure is a call to action, but the action is not clear until the end of the story. We learn his his shortcomings he complains ( “How come we don’t got a car?”) and he lacks the imagination of his Nana (“…he never saw a straw.”). This is where the hero CJ begins his journey, oblivious of the adventures to come. There is evidence that de la Peña’s little hero CJ experiences each stage, even in the short text (32 pages) of this picture book: 1. The Hero’s Journey follows a pattern of adventures that are generally organized in 12 stages. He suggested that the everyone in life meets complications and obstacles, but it is the individual who goes through each of the stages and completes them successfully who society regards as a hero of any kind. The same narrative pattern is seen also in film with Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars trilogy.Ĭampbell drew parallels between these journeys of legend in literature and mythology with the journeys that everyday heroes make. In the literary canon there are many examples such as Odysseus ( The Odyssey) and Bilbo Baggins ( The Hobbit). This narrative pattern of myth and legend has been followed by other characters on journeys. “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” ![]() The Hero’s Journey or mono-myth was introduced by Joseph Campbell an American mythologist, who wrote in his most famous work The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949): These repeated readings have made me aware that that CJ’s journey is a sophisticated journey. CJ travels through an urban landscape, a setting that is familiar to these students, but combined with same fantastic elements of an archetypal narrative pattern known as The Hero’s Journey. “Boy, what do we need a car for? We got a bus that breathes fire.” They notice the white trunks of the birch trees, drawn to look like they are “drinking through straw.” They like Nana’s sharp retort as she grows irritated with CJ’s questions. ![]() The students are hooked from the beginning when the picture book’s hero CJ bursts through the church doors, and into the rain that “smells like freedom.” This fall, I have been reading Matt de la Peña’s story to students in different elementary grade levels. “It has so many awards….and it’s only a few months old,” his classmate noted. He was pointing to the shiny black circle that marked the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, that lists the qualities of peace, non-violent social change, and brotherhood on its emblem. The boy was pointing to a black medallion, pasted under the silver foil award marking the 2016 Caldecott Honor and under the gold foil award marking the 2016 Newbery Medal. I was showing students in a 2nd grade class the cover of the picture book Last Stop on Market Street, written by American author Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson. “…and what is that award for?” the boy asked pointing to the right corner of the book.
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