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The Long Road
written and illustrated by Luis Garay
Themes include: history, geography, culture, language,
government, refugees
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About this book:
A memorable book about an unforgettable and true journey.
Teaching Ideas:
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Before reading the book:
This story centers around two
universal concepts: "journey" and "home." These concepts
are explored through the story of a young boy from Central
America who must flee from his comfortable home and his
country when civil war breaks out. To assist students in
developing a framework within which to make connections to
the story, begin a discussion, or have them write comments
in a journal, using the following questions:
• What does "home" mean? What does it mean to "be home"?
• Have you ever had a home other than the one you are living
in now? What do you remember of it? What similarities do
your two homes have? What are their differences?
• If you have ever moved from one home to another, what was
it like? What was good about moving? What was difficult
about it?
• What are some of the reasons why people might leave one
home and move to another?
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As you read the book:
1. Read as far as the scene where
José is visiting his grandmother at Christmas time, then
pause for a discussion. Talk about, or have the students
write answers to, the following questions:
• What do we know about José's life right now? What does he
like to do? With whom does he live? What is his home like?
• The story says, "On Christmas Eve as José snuggled into
the spare-room bed at Grandma's house, he closed his eyes
and felt as though he couldn't be happier." Why do you
suppose he feels so happy? Give specific examples and
reasons to support your opinion.
2. Identify the first turning point. Read the three pages
that describe what happened in José's village, his secret
journey with his mother, and the scene where José's mother
speaks with a man at a desk. Then pause, and explain to the
students that a significant change has happened to José; the
story has reached a turning point, and it is important that
they understand what has happened. Ask the students to
indicate anything that confuses them at this point and to
pose any questions they may have.
3. Recognizing conflict. One type of conflict that often
occurs in a story is a psychological conflict, where a
person is struggling with a problem or conflict in his or
her own mind. Psychological conflicts often have to do with
feelings. Read further in the story until you reach the
page opposite the scene in the shelter. Point out for
students the passage that reads, "José had never felt so
desolate. He could only think, 'I have no home. I have no
friends.'" Remind them of the time at Christmas when José
had felt as though he couldn't possibly be any happier than
he was at that moment. Invite students to use clues from
the pictures as well as from the story to identify
differences between the home that he had left and the
situation in which he found himself at the shelter. Some
differences might emerge in the categories of people and
relationships, language and culture, and physical
surroundings and objects.
4. Moving towards a resolution. In a classic story pattern,
the conclusion involves some resolution of the story's major
conflict. Before reading to the end of the book, remind
students of José's feelings of desolation, his sense that he
had no home. Ask them to watch for clues that José is
beginning to construct a new sense of "home" in his adopted
country. What are the specific elements that contribute to
the feeling he expresses at the end of the story: "For the
very first time, José felt that the long road that had led
him here could be a road to happiness he had not known since
an evening long ago in the kitchen of his Uncle Ramon"?
If students seem able to enter into a more nuanced and
complex discussion, ask them next to identify what is still
incomplete about José's happiness. Call the students'
attention to the passage on a page opposite the picture of a
snowman, which reads, "For a minute he closed his eyes. He
was swept up by the aroma, and by the Spanish voices he did
not need to strain to understand. For a moment he thought
his heart would break." Point out, too, that when his
mother asks him, "José, isn't this just like being at
home?", José does not directly respond. What can we infer
about José's feelings from this exchange?
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After reading the story: extension activities
1. Map skills: Identifying our homes and our journeys. In
José's new classroom, his teacher had posted a map and each
of the students had marked on the map the journey that had
brought them there. Post three maps in your classroom: a
map of your city, a political map of your country or
continent, and a map of the world. On the map of your city,
identify the location of your school. On the map of your
continent, identify the location of your city. On the map
of the world, identify the location of your city again, and
point out the boundaries of your country. Explain to
students the concept of scale, using the idea of "zooming
out" and "zooming in" for a close-up look. (If you have a
computerized atlas or internet access to a map collection,
you can demonstrate the "zooming" function further using the
computer's zoom tools.)
Next, invite the students to mark their homes on these maps
using pushpins, and then connect the homes using lengths of
yarn. Students who have moved between homes in the city
will mark those journeys on the city map, while students who
have moved from one state or province to another can use the
national or continental map. Lastly, some students will
need to use the world map to indicate their journeys. Those
students who have never moved could map the journeys of
their parents or grandparents instead, or they could serve
as "assistants" to other students who might have a lot of
mapping to do.
2. Mapping a journey like José's. José and his mother had a
particular challenge: they had to travel from Central
America to North America secretly because they were afraid
they would be attacked or captured by soldiers. Using a
detailed map, locate Central America, and then point out to
students that author Luis Garay came from the country of
Nicaragua. Trace some routes that José might have taken to
travel north. Name the countries he would pass through, and
look for clues that indicate types of terrain, such as
mountains or rivers, that he and his mother would have
encountered. Point out where the large cities are found,
and where the small towns and villages are located.
On the map, explore the borders between countries that José
might have encountered on his journey. Point out how much
of the border between the United States and Mexico is formed
by the Rio Grande River (a natural physical border), while
the western border is formed by straight lines as if someone
had taken a ruler and drawn it (a man-made border). Then
examine the other borders between Central American
countries. (Consider visiting
www.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine
for excellent satellite maps of all the Central American countries.) In
what ways were they formed? Try to infer which borders
might have been difficult to cross because they involved
natural boundaries, such as mountains or water.
Point out to students that there are several types of roads,
or highways, that travelers use: dirt pathways, paved roads,
railroads, and waterways. What might be the advantages and
disadvantages of each type of road for refugees such as José
and his mother? Using a detailed political map of Central
America, try to trace different routes they might have taken
out of Nicaragua, by land, along rail lines, and by water,
and consider the benefits and hardships of each.
3. Cultures and traditions. Many cultures celebrate
birthdays, but not all cultures celebrate them in the same
ways. Together with students, brainstorm a list of typical
elements of a North American birthday party: cake, candles,
a certain song, gifts, loot bags, etc. Then, research
birthday traditions in other cultures, including those in
Central America. What do North American birthday
celebrations have in common with celebrations in other
cultures? What is different or unique about our
celebrations? Ask students to select the one element of
North American birthday celebrations that they would most
want to preserve, or bring with them, if they were to
travel to another culture. Then, ask them to choose one
birthday tradition from another culture that they would most
like to adopt.
4. Language for survival. One of the biggest challenges
José and his mother faced was that of learning English.
Have the class list the activities that a new immigrant
might need to engage in: shopping for household goods,
buying food, looking for a job, reading a map or public
transit timetable, seeing a doctor. Divide the students
into groups, each with a category from the list such as
"buying food" or "driving." Provide each group with a
Spanish-English dictionary. Each group's task is to
brainstorm a list of ten to twenty essential words in their
category that a new immigrant would need to know. Using
index cards or small pieces of paper, each group member
could write down a pair of Spanish and English words,
accompanied by an illustration, and then the separate cards
or pieces of paper could be bound together into an
"essential words for newcomers" book.
As an extension to this activity, have students indicate
what areas of the world new immigrants to their community
are coming from. Create "essential words" collections in
the languages of these immigrants and donate them to a local
social services agency, or another group that works with
immigrants, as welcoming gifts "from children to children."
5. Refugees in North American history. Nearly everyone who
lives on our continent of North America can trace the story
of their family's arrival to an earlier time; in other
words, we are all the descendants of immigrants, whether
they be immigrants of ancient times, of a century ago, or of
just a few months ago. Many people immigrated to this
continent by choice, to seek a better life, but throughout
our history there have been people who have come here as
refugees, driven out of their homelands against their will
by disasters such as war and famine. José and his mother
were refugees; they were unable to remain safely in their
home or country. To help students understand that refugees
have always been a part of our continent's history,
introduce them to stories such as these that follow.
Encourage students to look for similarities to the story of
The Long Road.
• Charlotte,
the story of loyalist refugees fleeing from New
York to Nova Scotia after the Revolutionary War.
See also Tundra Teacher Guide: Charlotte.
• The Dancer Who Flew: A Memoir of Rudolf Nureyev,
which tells the recent story of a famous Russian ballet dancer who
defected to the United States to escape oppressive
conditions in his own country.
• A Child in Prison Camp,
which tells the tale of Japanese
internment during World War II.
• They Sought a New World,
which examines European
immigration to North America in all its courage and pain.
Also consider having older students research the Underground
Railroad movement in the mid-nineteenth century, and the
"sanctuary" movement for Latin American refugees that was
especially active in American churches during the 1980s.
6. Career connection: social services and sanctuary in your
community. Invite a representative from a local social
services agency or cultural center to speak to your students
about work he or she does in assisting
immigrants as they adjust to life in a new country.
7. Civics and government: after immigration, becoming a
citizen. Have students research the steps that a person
must go through to obtain citizenship in your country. What
does it mean to be a "permanent resident"? What benefits
are there to becoming a citizen? What must a person know
and be able to do in order to achieve citizenship? What are
the costs? Which branch of the government handles this
procedure? What are some obstacles that might make it
difficult for a person to become a citizen? Introduce
students to the concepts of passports, "green cards" (USA),
"landing papers" (Canada). Consider a visit to the local
government agency that handles citizenship issues in your
area. Invite an immigration lawyer to discuss some of the
ways he or she helps immigrants overcome the difficulties
involved in becoming a citizen. Finally, discover whether
citizenship swearing-in (induction) ceremonies take place in
your area, and see if you can make arrangements for your
class to attend one of those ceremonies.
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Tundra Teacher Guides:
Amazing Grace,
Charlotte,
Dippers,
The Legend of the Panda,
Lucy Maud and the Cavendish Cat,
A Mountain Alphabet,
Silent Night
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