A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Soto, Gary. 1992. Ill. by Eric Velasquez. The Skirt. New York, NY: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0385306652
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Miata has found herself in a dilemma. She accidentally forgot her folklórico skirt on the school bus. Her mother, who lovingly passed on this skirt to her, has entrusted her with it for the upcoming dance recital. The problem is that it is Friday after school and she needs this skirt for her performance on Sunday. Disappointed and upset with herself she enlists the help of her best friend Ana to figure out how to retrieve her skirt before the recital.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Gary Soto has written a book about a protagonist who mistakenly leaves her mothers folklórico skirt on the school bus and needs it desperately for her recital on Sunday. She enlists the help of her friend Ana and they break into the school bus to retrieve it. Although in the story her misdeed is not caught, you understand that she feels bad for breaking into the bus. To make matters worse, her mother gives her a new folklórico skirt that evening. She then realizes "Que bother,” she had broken into the bus for nothing. Yet, this gift helps her realize the value in the passing of treasured gifts from family members. She notes: “She felt sorry for her old skirt. It was like a flower dead on its stem.” Miata proudly decides to wear both skirts.
Although this book is intended for 3rd – 5th graders I believe the depth of the story is geared more towards 2nd – 4th graders. The story line is simplistic but sweet.
Soto, Gary. 1992. Ill. by Eric Velasquez. The Skirt. New York, NY: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0385306652
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Miata has found herself in a dilemma. She accidentally forgot her folklórico skirt on the school bus. Her mother, who lovingly passed on this skirt to her, has entrusted her with it for the upcoming dance recital. The problem is that it is Friday after school and she needs this skirt for her performance on Sunday. Disappointed and upset with herself she enlists the help of her best friend Ana to figure out how to retrieve her skirt before the recital.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Gary Soto has written a book about a protagonist who mistakenly leaves her mothers folklórico skirt on the school bus and needs it desperately for her recital on Sunday. She enlists the help of her friend Ana and they break into the school bus to retrieve it. Although in the story her misdeed is not caught, you understand that she feels bad for breaking into the bus. To make matters worse, her mother gives her a new folklórico skirt that evening. She then realizes "Que bother,” she had broken into the bus for nothing. Yet, this gift helps her realize the value in the passing of treasured gifts from family members. She notes: “She felt sorry for her old skirt. It was like a flower dead on its stem.” Miata proudly decides to wear both skirts.
Although this book is intended for 3rd – 5th graders I believe the depth of the story is geared more towards 2nd – 4th graders. The story line is simplistic but sweet.
Cultural Markers:
The author, Gary Soto, chose to write about a Hispanic family whose income is averagely low. The father is a welder and works weekends doing odd jobs to help out. The mother seems to stay home and keeps the house very neat. Typical of traditional Hispanic family life, they sit together for meals at the table which signifies the strength of the family unit. One morning they had “chorizo con huevos” together while the radio played Mexican music softly in the background. Gary Soto also describes the skin of Hispanics as having, “old leathery skin, a Mexicano.” The foods they ate are typical of Hispanic families: frijoles (beans), papas fritas (diced and fried potatoes), and chorizo con huevó (a type of sausage with egg). The names were typical to Hispanic families: Miata, Ana, Prieta, Madrigal, Ramirez, Rodolfo, and Carranza. The family faith seemed to be Catholic. We can deduct this by the catholic school uniform and the priest that the family sees on Sunday.
Scattered throughout the book the author disperses code switching by using simple Spanish words throughout the text. I did have a problem with the wording. I am Hispanic and I read Spanish much better than I speak it but while reading the book the code-switching bothered me. I kept thinking about other children reading this book and wondered if they would become frustrated with the dispersed words and give up on the story rather than trying to continue with the book. Don’t get me wrong the book is mainly English, but there are enough Spanish words put in place to frustrate a reader. For example “At dinner, they had steak, frijoles, and papas fritas. That was her father’s favorite meal.” Ok, we know it is a meal but what are frijoles, and papas fritas? Another example, “Que paso? she said to Ana as she hurried off the bus.” We are not given the definitions for the Spanish words. The students must use context clues to infer the meaning. Although this is a necessary literary skill, I feel for students who are lower level readers, and who do not know Spanish, this book would potentially frustrate them. It would have been nice to see a glossary of words in the back but it was not made available. Aside from this, the story does have universal themes of family, friendship, determination, and family pride. Gary Soto accomplished writing a book that will entertain.
Illustrations:
Eric Velasquez is the illustrator of this book. He used various small pencil lines to draw the images that are very similar to a pointillism style of art work. He depicts cultural markers by using Hispanic Aztec pottery and art work on the walls of the family home with simple furniture. He then went on to depict the Hispanic features with dark eyes, fuller lips, and chongos or ponytail hair style for Miata. When illustrating the celebration he drew prominent Viva Mexico signs while Miata is shown with her flowing folklórico dress at the celebration. The illustrations are a perfect depiction of Hispanic life. I did not feel as if he over exaggerated the culture. He simply kept the illustrated elements simple with clean lines.
D. REVIEW EXCEPTS
School Library Journal: This is a light, engaging narrative that successfully combines information on Hispanic culture with familiar and recognizable childhood themes.
Publishers Weekly: Soto's light tale offers a pleasant blend of family ties, friendship and ethnic pride.
Kirkus Review: Soto shows a mainstream audience that the lives of middle-class Hispanics resemble their own.
E. CONNECTIONS
*Discuss the actions of Miata. Was it right for her to break into the bus? Should she have come clean with her parents about the lost skirt?
*Look through the book for Spanish words that students would like to look up the meaning for.
*Discuss the Mexican culture and listen to some folklórico music to gain a deeper understanding of this traditional dance.
* Visit Gary Soto’s Website at: http://www.garysoto.com/
Other books by Gary Soto:
Baseball in April and Other Stories. ISBN: 9780152025670
Too Many Tamales. ISBN: 9780698114128
Chato's Kitchen. ISBN: 978-0698116009
Too Many Tamales. ISBN: 9780698114128
Chato's Kitchen. ISBN: 978-0698116009
TOMÁS AND THE LIBRARY LADY
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY 
Mora, Pat. 1997. Ill. by Raul Colon. Tomás and the Library Lady. New, York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN 978679904018
B. PLOT SUMMARY
One hot evening after Papá Grande has recounted a story, he tells Tomás, his grandson, that it is now his turn to become a storyteller. Tomás apprehensively visits the library where he begins an adventure filled with new stories and discovers a grand world unbeknownst to him.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Pat Mora has written an award winning book based on the life of Tomás Rivera, a national educational leader. Tomás and his family are poor migrants struggling to make a living. They drive a rusty old car, live in small quarters with other field workers, and rummage through a dump to find iron to sell. The story does not elaborate in detail about the hardships of this life. It merely describes conditions such as “All day they worked in the hot sun.” or, “When it got hot, they sat under a tree with Papa Grande.” There is no complaining about their hardships instead you get a sense for the love and bond this family has for each other. The children love to hear Papa Grande tell stories, the stay close to their parents in the fields as they work, and in the hot car they dream together. Tomás desires to be a story teller as Papa Grande so he timidly visits the library for the first time. At the library the librarian befriends him by inviting Tomás to come in where its cool and drink some cold water. The library not only provides a place of refuge from the heat but becomes a world of wonder for him. His journey towards becoming a storyteller starts to take life. He then goes home with books and reads to his whole family. At the end of the story we find out that the book is based on a true story. Tomás Rivera goes on to become a national educational leader and even has a library named after him. It is a beautiful story that begs to be read aloud and shared with others.
Mora, Pat. 1997. Ill. by Raul Colon. Tomás and the Library Lady. New, York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN 978679904018
B. PLOT SUMMARY
One hot evening after Papá Grande has recounted a story, he tells Tomás, his grandson, that it is now his turn to become a storyteller. Tomás apprehensively visits the library where he begins an adventure filled with new stories and discovers a grand world unbeknownst to him.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Pat Mora has written an award winning book based on the life of Tomás Rivera, a national educational leader. Tomás and his family are poor migrants struggling to make a living. They drive a rusty old car, live in small quarters with other field workers, and rummage through a dump to find iron to sell. The story does not elaborate in detail about the hardships of this life. It merely describes conditions such as “All day they worked in the hot sun.” or, “When it got hot, they sat under a tree with Papa Grande.” There is no complaining about their hardships instead you get a sense for the love and bond this family has for each other. The children love to hear Papa Grande tell stories, the stay close to their parents in the fields as they work, and in the hot car they dream together. Tomás desires to be a story teller as Papa Grande so he timidly visits the library for the first time. At the library the librarian befriends him by inviting Tomás to come in where its cool and drink some cold water. The library not only provides a place of refuge from the heat but becomes a world of wonder for him. His journey towards becoming a storyteller starts to take life. He then goes home with books and reads to his whole family. At the end of the story we find out that the book is based on a true story. Tomás Rivera goes on to become a national educational leader and even has a library named after him. It is a beautiful story that begs to be read aloud and shared with others.
Cultural Markers:
I believe that Pat Mora did a wonderful job adding cultural markers within the book. First, family life: The family is unified. They stick together in the fields, sifting through the dump, listening to stories together from both Papa Grande and Tomás. From time to time Mora intertwines Spanish words within the English text. The beauty of this is she effortlessly incorporates the Spanish words within the text and explains the meaning of the words which greatly helps. For example: “Que tigre tan grande!” “Tomás said first in Spanish and then in English, “What a big tiger!” Other examples are: “It is pan dulce, sweet bread.” or “En un tiempo pasado, Papa Grande began. Once upon a time...” I immensely loved this sweet story and so did my seven year old daughter. She said her favorite part was the library, “because he discovers that the library was a place to read and he can go anywhere he likes, like to visit tigers and dinosaurs.” It was indeed a beautiful book that explains how reading can open up a new world of wonder.
Illustrations:
Raul Colon is the illustrator of this book. He used beautiful warm earth toned colors with textural lines to capture the life of Tomás Rivera. The golden hues evoke the heat yet the rounded lines of the images are soft and evoke emotions of family love and unity. The skin tones of the family members are illustrated in brown tones. The men are drawn with traditional Spanish mustaches of old. I especially loved the picture of Tomás hugging the librarian. In this picture you can sense not only the gratitude of Tomás but of Papa Grande in the background who is watching. Raul Colon was able to combine his images to flow beautifully with the text for a perfect combination.
D. REVIEW EXCEPTS
Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award - 1997
Booklist: …it's an elemental American experience: the uprooted child who finds a home in the library.
Kirkus Review: A charming, true story about the encounter between the boy who would become chancellor at the University of California at Riverside and a librarian in Iowa.
School Library Journal: Colon's earthy, sun-warmed colors, textured with swirling lines, add life to this biographical fragment and help portray Tomas's reading adventures in appealing ways.
E. CONNECTIONS
*Research the life of migrant workers.
*Discuss why Tomás and his family went to the dump. How did this benefit the family?
*Discuss the world of books. Ask students what they believe the library has to offer them? *How did the library affect Tomás and his future?
*Visit Pat Mora’s website at: http://www.patmora.com/
Other books by Pat Mora:
Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day. ISBN: 9780061288777
Dona Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart. ISBN: 9780375823374
Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico! Americas' Sproutings. ISBN: 978-1584302711
THE TEQUILA WORM
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Canales, Viola. 2005. The Tequila Worm. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN: 9780385746748
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Fourteen year old Sofia loves life. She has a bubbly personality and loves a challenge. Coming from a family of storytellers, Sofia recounts various memories of her Hispanic upbringing in McAllen, TX. When she is offered an opportunity to study at a prestigious private school in Austin, TX she desires to take up this challenge and learn about the world outside of her Hispanic community. Sofia must find a way to convince her mother that she is ready for this new challenge.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Viola Canales has written a Pura Belpre Award winning novel about a fourteen year old girl living in McAllen, TX. The chapters are written in narrative style with Sofia recalling past memories of her youth. I had already heard great things about this book from several family and friends but had not taken the time to read it. The book is set in McAllen, TX and I live five miles away in Mission, TX. The two towns connect at the hip and all our shopping is done in McAllen. So, I declared on our recent family trip that I was going to read this novel out loud. My husband immediately objected and stated, “please don’t, I know it’s just going to put me to sleep.” But being me, I chose to go ahead and read out loud anyway. In no time at all we were laughing our heads off and sharing our own similar memories with our daughters. We especially loved the chapters titled, “Skulls and Quarters,” “My Plastic Tia,” and “The Candy Bite.”
In “Skulls and Quarters” Sophia recounts wearing homemade costumes, getting food as treats, and the amazing news of where her cousin went trick or treating: “The year before, Berta had told me that she’d gone to the other side of town and found Halloween heaven, where she got whole chocolate candy bars and quarters… It was amazing!” My husband and I laughed and laughed. We too, had gone to the Anglo side of town wearing homemade costumes to get “whole” candy bars.
Our memories continued on as we read the chapter on “My Plastic Tia.” I nearly died laughing, reading about Sofia sitting on a plastic covered couch, “I sat on the massive sofa, not knowing if and how and when to move, but ever more concerned that the pools of sweat gathering around my thighs and legs would soon start running like rivers onto her plastic-covered carpet. I wanted to yell, Why don’t you just go ahead and enjoy your furniture? Uncover it!” Memories of my own thighs stuck to family furniture covered with plastic flooded me with tears of laughter. My daughters had no clue to why I found this particular chapter funny but my husband completely understood my laughter.
“The Candy Bite” chapter had me in stitches. This chapter recounts the selfish feelings that I believe many children feel about sharing. Sophia declares, “I’m not going to be friends with Berta anymore. She’s mean and selfish.” Sofia is found fighting with her cousin over a candy bar! This chapter was right up my daughters’ alley. They both laughed and then starting recalling bitter memories that really did not need to surface in the tight quarters of our family van!
As I continued to read I found that the story reads differently towards the end. The humor fades a bit as she accounts life at Saint Luke’s Episcopal School. The last chapters deal more with the trials of growing up living in a new and completely different world.
Cultural Markers:
This novel is filled with Hispanic cultural markers. Most of the stories are hilarious and specifically deal with cultural issues of a Catholic Hispanic family. It discusses their belief in curandera or someone who heals others by praying to saints while using healing herbs. It deals with the tradition of taking her first communion and the seriousness of the Holy Host, celebrating the Day of the Dead, and cracking Easter cascarones. Throughout the story you learn about the seriousness women felt about celebrating a quinceañera and finding the right comadre to bond with. A comadre is a godmother or close spiritual best friend that now as a comadre, becomes family.
Many Hispanic cultural clues are given with the types of food that this family eats. They eat various Hispanic foods such as: pan dulce, churros, frijoles, raspas, tacos, tortillas, buñuelos, tamales, and the all disgusting tequila worm (to cure homesickness).
The story has Spanish words intermingled throughout the story and discusses the unity and bond Hispanics have for one another and their comadres/compadres.
I had never read a novel by a Hispanic author much less felt such a close cultural connection to a book. I loved this novel and I am now excited about searching for other Hispanic authors to connect with through their stories.
D. REVIEW EXCEPTS
Pura Belpre Award - 2006
Booklist: Readers of all backgrounds will easily connect with Sofia as she grows up, becomes a comadre, and helps rebuild the powerful, affectionate community that raised her.
Kirkus Review: …the characters and setting are so real to life that readers who connect with Sofia at the start will find many riches here, from a perspective that is still hard to find in youth literature
School Library Journal: Canales includes vivid descriptions of life in a Mexican-American community. Her prose is engaging and easy to read, making this novel a good choice for reluctant readers.
Publishers Weekly: …the characters are real and engaging, the vignettes funny and enlightening, and Sofia's lack of cynicism is refreshing.
E. CONNECTIONS
*Study and map out the differences and similarities of holidays between different cultures.
*Discuss the chapter on “The Packing Shed.” How have times changed or not?
*What is the true meaning of becoming a good comadre or compadre?
*Study and map out the differences and similarities of holidays between different cultures.
*Discuss the chapter on “The Packing Shed.” How have times changed or not?
*What is the true meaning of becoming a good comadre or compadre?
Another book by Viola Canales:
Orange Candy Slices and Other Secret Tales. ISBN: 9781558853324
Other related books:
Saldana, Rene Jr. The Jumping Tree. ISBN: 9780440228813
Alegría, Malin. Estrella's Quinceañera. ISBN: 9780689878107
Ryan, Pam Munoz. Esperanza Rising. ISBN: 9780439120425
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