Meche y las ballenas

BASIC INFO	LANGUAGE LEVEL	COMPREHENSION-AIDING FEATURES
Book Title Meche y las ballenas (Meche and the Whales) Author(s) Mike Peto Illustrator(s) Uncredited black and white illustrations Other Contributors N/A Published by My Generation of Polyglots Genre Realistic Fiction Publication date January 2020 (2nd edition) #Ownvoices Unknown	From the author/publisher’s website Intermediate Total Word Count Not available	Illustrations YES Glossary YES Guiding Questions NO Context NO Other

IDENTITIES PRESENT IN THE TEXT		SYNOPSIS
Races, Ethnicities, and Nationalities Mexican U.S. American Japanese Languages spoken Spanish English Japanese (appears in one illustration) Sex and Genders Female Male Ages Teenager: 13-18 Mid-life Adult: 35-65 Social classes Working class Middle Class Upper class	Sexual Orientation None mentioned in text (Dis)Abilities and Neurotypes None mentioned in text Religions, Syncretism, and Spirituality None mentioned in text Relationship and Family Structures Single parent Heteroparental Body Descriptions Illustrations depict straight-size bodies. One character is described as “Tiene el cuerpo fornido de un jugador de fútbol americano. / He has the strong body of a football player.” (p.26)	From the author/publisher’s website Meche splits her time between her father´s home in Baja California Sur, Mexico and her mother’s family in San Diego, USA. She helps her father run boat tours of the whale-birthing lagoons in San Ignacio, Baja California Sur. Every year grey whales migrate to these lagoons from the Arctic Ocean in order to give birth to their babies. While Meche is a resident in two countries, she feels like an outsider in both. “Neither from here nor there” is how Meche responds when people ask her where she is from. When the whale habitat is threatened by plans to develop a large-scale salt mining operation, Meche plays a role in saving the lagoon and finds her place in a community that embraces her for reasons more profound than the color of her passport. This fictional story is set within the context of the real history of a small Mexican community that attracted the attention of the world in order to save the habitat of the grey whales. It was written for intermediate learners of Spanish. This inspiring story may appeal to readers with an interest in the environment, transborder cultural identities and heritage learners of Spanish. There are footnotes for words that are typically unknown to intermediate students, a full Spanish-English glossary of every word in the novel, and 57 illustrations embedded within the text to help the reader. From the text: This is a work of fiction based loosely on true events that occurred in Baja California, Mexico. While the characters and specific events narrated in this book are fictitious, the struggle to protect the birthing lagoons used by the gray whales is very real and ongoing. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents in this book are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

ILLUSTRATIONS	STORY	SOCIAL JUSTICE
To what extent do the illustrations present positive and thoughtful representations of identities? The illustrations are sketches in black and white. Meche wears glasses. She is seen doing a variety of things, including cooking, playing soccer, surfing, and visiting an aquarium. One illustration shows a girl standing on the border between the U.S. and Mexico, while people on each side of her point to her and say, “That is a Mexican girl” and “¡Es gringa! ¡Es gabacha! ¡No es mexicana!” Some illustrations show people marching to protect the environment. One group marching carries a sign with a slogan written in Japanese.	We understand identities are complex and no single story represents the spectrum of identity-based experiences. Also, a text may address a stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization without relying on it. *Does any stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization affect any positive and thoughtful representations of identities in the text?* No	This section is for teachers who are working towards sourcing more texts within the four domains of anti-bias education. We are excited about reading all books and we understand that not all books are written for this specific purpose. *Does this text work toward goals within any of the* four domains of anti-bias education as defined by Learning for Justice? Identity: Promote a healthy self-concept and exploration of identity Diversity: Foster intergroup understanding Justice: Raise awareness of prejudice and injustice Action: Motivate students to act by highlighting individual and collective struggles against injustice

LLLAB’s REVIEW
Meche y las ballenas (Meche and the Whales) describes the life of Meche, a teenaged girl who lives in Baja California, Mexico. Meche lives in a small house with her father near their family restaurant in Laguna San Ignacio. She holds dual citizenship. She formerly lived in San Diego, California with her mother. The lagoon, and the whales who migrate there, are threatened by a business deal with a Japanese company that wants to develop a salt factory. Meche, her friends, and family band together with an international consortium of activists to save the whales. Meche holds citizenship in the United States and in Mexico. She has family on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, and has lived in both the U.S. and Mexico at different points in her life. The author offers a comparison between Meche and the whales who migrate from Mexico to Alaska: Meche feels like an outsider in both her homes. “Ni de aquí, ni de allá… para ella, tener doble nacionalidad significaba que no pertenecía a ninguna.” / Not from here, nor from there… for her, having dual citizenship meant that she belonged nowhere (p. 45). At one point, an activist asks Meche to go to the United States to represent the local community at a rally in San Diego to save the whales. Because Meche has two passports, some of the other characters assume that she can cross the border easily, and that because she is bilingual, she can communicate to an audience in the U.S.: “Tú conoces la laguna, tú puedes hablar de las ballenas. Si nos detienen, eres tú la única que puede representar la comunidad local. Te necesitamos.” / You know the lagoon, you can talk about the whales. If they stop us, you are the only one who can represent the local community. We need you (pp. 79-80). The story shows that people from different cultures can have shared values and goals, such as protecting the environment. Meche and her father organize tourism trips in small boats to see and interact safely with the whales. Although she understands much of what the tourists say, Meche communicates with a mix of Spanish, gestures, and English: “Los chicos ponen las manos en el agua y tocan el ballenato. El ballenato se acerca más y los turistas acarician el hocico del ballenato. ‘Con cuidado’–dice Meche–‘con love, por favor.’” / The children put their hands in the water and touch the baby whale. The calf gets closer and the tourists pet the nose of the whale. “Carefully”–says Meche–“with love, please” (p. 27). Furthermore, the tourists also sometimes use Spanish while they are in Mexico. “–Ballena –dice en español uno de los adolescentes rubios– ballena… ven, ven.” / “Whale”–says in Spanish one of the blond teenagers–”whale… come here” (p. 24). This shows that the visitors to Mexico are making an effort to communicate using the local language. There are rallies and protests in favor of the whales on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border and across the world. The lagoon and the whales are threatened by a rich businessman from Japan who is working in collaboration with powerful people in Mexico, but the Japanese businessman’s daughter urges him to save the whales. An illustration shows people in Japan also protesting on behalf of the whales (p. 77). The story shows how environmental injustice can impact marginalized communities. The plans to develop a large-scale salt mining operation in the whale birthing lagoon would have had a devastating impact on the local community. The readers learn firsthand the impact that this business could have on both the local community and the whale population. The author uses illustrations to show the politicians’ and business leaders’ lack of concern or care for protecting the environment. One illustration shows a smiling man in a suit with a speech bubble that says: “Les dije que podemos construir una fábrica de sal y también salvar las ballenas ….¡Y me lo creyeron!” / I told them that we can build a salt factory and also save the whales….And they believed me! (p. 41) When Meche tries to cross the border into the U.S. to attend the rally in San Diego, she is detained alone in a cold room overnight and well into the next day. The border guards speak politely and explain that her detention was an error. But Meche suspects that she was detained on purpose to prevent her from attending the event. The author leaves the true reason for the detention deliberately vague, and a teacher may want to explore the possibilities that it was or was not an accident, highlighting real-life examples of when racial profiling leads to these outcomes. Meche is inspired by this incident to fight for justice. “–Entonces, no fue ningún error –murmura Meche. Sabes, mamá…ahora yo sé lo que quiero ser en la vida. Quiero ser Abogada [sic] para poder luchar contra la injusticia.” / “Then, it was no mistake,” murmurs Meche. “You know, mom…now I know what I want to do with my life. I want to be a Lawyer [sic] to fight against injustice” (p. 86). The story shows how people can make a difference by coming together as activists to raise awareness about issues important to them and stand against large corporations and powerful politicians. Meche, the protagonist, gives the reader a firsthand account of the struggle of local people for justice. She is a teenager, but she plays a role in saving the whale habitat. She does this by talking to people about the issue, raising awareness, and attending protests. While at the protest in Mexico, she contributes by picking up trash. This shows students that they can make a difference, no matter how old they are or how small their voice might seem. The author states that this is a work of fiction based loosely on true events. The text does not cite the sources that informed the author’s imagination or the true events involved. Teachers may wish to direct readers to sources that may inform their understandings of the experiences represented in the book, such as reporting from Human Rights Watch about conditions within the US immigration system, as well as reporting from the Los Angeles Times on real conservation efforts that saved the San Ignacio lagoon in the 1990s.

LLLAB’s REVIEW

Meche y las ballenas (Meche and the Whales) describes the life of Meche, a teenaged girl who lives in Baja California, Mexico. Meche lives in a small house with her father near their family restaurant in Laguna San Ignacio. She holds dual citizenship. She formerly lived in San Diego, California with her mother. The lagoon, and the whales who migrate there, are threatened by a business deal with a Japanese company that wants to develop a salt factory. Meche, her friends, and family band together with an international consortium of activists to save the whales.

Meche holds citizenship in the United States and in Mexico. She has family on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, and has lived in both the U.S. and Mexico at different points in her life. The author offers a comparison between Meche and the whales who migrate from Mexico to Alaska: Meche feels like an outsider in both her homes. “Ni de aquí, ni de allá… para ella, tener doble nacionalidad significaba que no pertenecía a ninguna.” / Not from here, nor from there… for her, having dual citizenship meant that she belonged nowhere (p. 45).

At one point, an activist asks Meche to go to the United States to represent the local community at a rally in San Diego to save the whales. Because Meche has two passports, some of the other characters assume that she can cross the border easily, and that because she is bilingual, she can communicate to an audience in the U.S.: “Tú conoces la laguna, tú puedes hablar de las ballenas. Si nos detienen, eres tú la única que puede representar la comunidad local. Te necesitamos.” / You know the lagoon, you can talk about the whales. If they stop us, you are the only one who can represent the local community. We need you (pp. 79-80).

The story shows that people from different cultures can have shared values and goals, such as protecting the environment. Meche and her father organize tourism trips in small boats to see and interact safely with the whales. Although she understands much of what the tourists say, Meche communicates with a mix of Spanish, gestures, and English: “Los chicos ponen las manos en el agua y tocan el ballenato. El ballenato se acerca más y los turistas acarician el hocico del ballenato. ‘Con cuidado’–dice Meche–‘con love, por favor.’” / The children put their hands in the water and touch the baby whale. The calf gets closer and the tourists pet the nose of the whale. “Carefully”–says Meche–“with love, please” (p. 27).

Furthermore, the tourists also sometimes use Spanish while they are in Mexico. “–Ballena –dice en español uno de los adolescentes rubios– ballena… ven, ven.” / “Whale”–says in Spanish one of the blond teenagers–”whale… come here” (p. 24). This shows that the visitors to Mexico are making an effort to communicate using the local language.

There are rallies and protests in favor of the whales on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border and across the world. The lagoon and the whales are threatened by a rich businessman from Japan who is working in collaboration with powerful people in Mexico, but the Japanese businessman’s daughter urges him to save the whales. An illustration shows people in Japan also protesting on behalf of the whales (p. 77).

The story shows how environmental injustice can impact marginalized communities. The plans to develop a large-scale salt mining operation in the whale birthing lagoon would have had a devastating impact on the local community. The readers learn firsthand the impact that this business could have on both the local community and the whale population. The author uses illustrations to show the politicians’ and business leaders’ lack of concern or care for protecting the environment. One illustration shows a smiling man in a suit with a speech bubble that says: “Les dije que podemos construir una fábrica de sal y también salvar las ballenas ….¡Y me lo creyeron!” / I told them that we can build a salt factory and also save the whales….And they believed me! (p. 41)

When Meche tries to cross the border into the U.S. to attend the rally in San Diego, she is detained alone in a cold room overnight and well into the next day. The border guards speak politely and explain that her detention was an error. But Meche suspects that she was detained on purpose to prevent her from attending the event. The author leaves the true reason for the detention deliberately vague, and a teacher may want to explore the possibilities that it was or was not an accident, highlighting real-life examples of when racial profiling leads to these outcomes. Meche is inspired by this incident to fight for justice. “–Entonces, no fue ningún error –murmura Meche. Sabes, mamá…ahora yo sé lo que quiero ser en la vida. Quiero ser Abogada [sic] para poder luchar contra la injusticia.” / “Then, it was no mistake,” murmurs Meche. “You know, mom…now I know what I want to do with my life. I want to be a Lawyer [sic] to fight against injustice” (p. 86).

The story shows how people can make a difference by coming together as activists to raise awareness about issues important to them and stand against large corporations and powerful politicians. Meche, the protagonist, gives the reader a firsthand account of the struggle of local people for justice. She is a teenager, but she plays a role in saving the whale habitat. She does this by talking to people about the issue, raising awareness, and attending protests. While at the protest in Mexico, she contributes by picking up trash. This shows students that they can make a difference, no matter how old they are or how small their voice might seem.

The author states that this is a work of fiction based loosely on true events. The text does not cite the sources that informed the author’s imagination or the true events involved. Teachers may wish to direct readers to sources that may inform their understandings of the experiences represented in the book, such as reporting from Human Rights Watch about conditions within the US immigration system, as well as reporting from the Los Angeles Times on real conservation efforts that saved the San Ignacio lagoon in the 1990s.

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