Preview the inside of Our books!
|
Click here to buy
El policía Justo Author's note: I wrote this book for toddlers and young children, and it tells the story of a child who pretends to be a police officer in his neighborhood. He finds a cat crossing the street and tells the cat to cross when the light changes, at the corner. He finds a dog running with a bag and chases the dog. The dog drops the bag, which turns out to be a bag of chicken scraps, so the boy tosses it in the garbage. He rides around joyously on his bicycle, pretending to have a siren whirring, and crashes into an electrical post on his bike. A squirrel falls from the post, and the boy tries to give the squirrel CPR. The squirrel bites him in the nose. The boy then realizes it was his fault that the squirrel was hurt, apologizes, and rides home. The boy believes he is doing his job, warning cats of danger, cleaning up trash, and apologizing when he causes an accident. He is proud of his good police work. This is a story that was born of my privileged life, where all police officers are friendly and understanding. I have since become aware of the police brutality against black people in this country. This story is a reflection of the "other reality" that I grew up in. Until camera-phones came around and made police brutality so visible, I did not understand the unspeakable things that happen in our country. Unspeakable, unspoken, and in my life, unseen. I know that this country will always have police officers, and any real progress in this country will require that we train and reward our officers for professional, friendly, fair and helpful conduct. |
Click here to buy
Los animales de Eva |
