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.Graphic Novel

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Background SummaryBackground Summary

In 1900, hundreds of thousands of American children under the age of 12 worked in factories.

Concerned citizens lobbied their state legislatures until laws were passed stating that children

had to be at least 12 years old before they could work in factories and that they could work no

more than 10 hours a day. Employers generally ignored these laws. The laws also did not cover

the more than one million children employed in agriculture. In 1916, the Keating-Owens Act,

which banned the interstate sale of goods produced by child labor, was passed. It was struck

down as unconstitutional two years later. In the 1920s, President Calvin Coolidge’s administration

overturned the remaining laws regulating child labor and wages for women. It was not until

1938, when Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, that child labor in the United States

was finally banned.

Unfortunately, millions of children in developing countries around the world work long hours for

little pay in dangerous, unhealthy environments. Many of the products they make are sold in the

United States. They work instead of going to school because the wages in their countries are so

low that several members of their families must work in order to provide food, clothing, and shel-

ter.

This graphic novel parallels a day in the life of an American child, who happens to be celebrating

his birthday, with that of a Mexican child who works in the factory where the American child’s

birthday gift is made. The drawings on the page are arranged differently from what you are ac-

customed to seeing. The artist has arranged the drawings so that the top half of each page de-

picts the activities of the American child and the bottom half of each page shows what the Mexi-

can child is doing on the same day. The Spanish dialogue used in the panels about the Mexican

child is translated for you on the following page. The story follows each child through the events

of his/her day. The American child is driven to school where he spends the day learning and in-

teracting with friends. The Mexican child walks to work, gets only a short break for lunch, and

spends long hard hours under the watchful eyes of a critical supervisor. Both children come from

warm loving families. The novel illustrates the difference between the life of a child in the United

States and the life of a child in a country without child labor laws.

ActivitiesActivities

Illustrating

After students have read the novel, ask them if they like the technique the artist used. Ask them to write a paragraph answering the following questions: Why did the artist arrange the pages this way? What effect is he trying to achieve? Is this graphic novel effective in telling the story?

Opinion Writing

Ask students to write a short paper on the subject of child labor and to include their opinions on this issue. Following are a few questions they might consider: Should American companies who manufac-ture products in developing countries do more to prevent the exploitation of children? Should they pay their adult employees a higher wage so that their employees’ children do not have to work?

Happy Birthday

GRAPHIC NOVEL

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