The Pot That Juan Built

  The Pot That Juan Built written by Nancy Andrews-Goebel and illustrated by David Diaz is a book with a very unique style in that it is both poetry and prose. In their accurate recreation of Juan Quezada, this multicultural nonfiction picturebook is a delight for readers. Having transformed his once impoverished village into a stable community by selling his handmade pots during the mid-twentieth century in Mexico, this inspirational story is sure to affect children everywhere. 

    I would love to read this story to children in my classroom. The Pot That Juan Built is written in a fun manner that draws attention of primary students, specifically grades 2 and 3. However, I feel that this story can interest anyone from 1st through 6th grade. The story can be read aloud to young students on one side of the page through short poetry. It can also challenge young readers by explaining the story with more advanced narration on adjacent pages. For example, in the photo below, poetry is read on the left hand side, on the right page has a more in-depth perspective of the events.
 

    
     Page 24 of Literature and the Child states that nonfiction books should include text that is clear and accurate by using stimulating writing. It also states that illustrations for the same category should clarify and elaborate of the facts and concepts through artful design. Again on page 306 we are given a checklist, assuring the text has accuracy, proper organization, design, and style. The Pot That Juan Built adheres with all of these requirements in a manner that in engaging for all readers.
    The illustrations in The Pot That Juan Built are just as inviting as the text. You can see in the photo below that through David Diaz's soft textures and faded lines, he is depicting movement. The reader can really feel the clay moving beneath his or her fingertips because the detailed design is so intricate. Using computer design as his media, Diaz is able to create bold colors that truly make a statement, which accentuate the folk art/representational style. There is also some transition at the end of the book with original photographs of Juan himself and his pots! The text and illustrations really create a respectful tribute to the Latino heritage by retelling the story of Juan Quezada.

     I thought of several great motivational activities for students. I thought for this book I would separate students into two groups. One group would be "Poetry", and the other "Prose". Both sides would have to summarize appropriate text into one giant poster. Groups would work together to figure out how the story can be told through one picture, or a collage of pictures, on one canvas. Since The Pot That Juan Built comes in a Spanish version, another great motivational activity is to teach Spanish with this book! We could read the poetry version in Spanish and compare it to English. What a great way to integrate two subjects! Another idea is, "Have students pretend they are television reporters. Ask them to write a list of questions they might ask Juan in an interview" (Lee & Low Books, 2008). I might even take it one step further and ask for a student to volunteer as Juan, and answer questions in which he felt that Juan would answer. My reader response questions for students would be:

1. "Why is it important for people to know about Juan Quezada? 
2. Why do you think the author chose to write the book in the way she did?"
   (Lee & Low Books, 2008)

References

     Andrews-Goebel, N., Diaz, D. (2002). The Pot That Juan Built. (1st ed.). China: Lee & Low Books.
    Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2011). Literature and the Child. (7th ed., pp. 24-306). Belmont: Wadsworth Pub Co. 
     Lee & Low Books. (2008). The Pot That Juan Built Teacher’s Guide. Retrieved from http://www.leeandlow.com/images/pdfs/juan.pdf