Abuela

by Arthur Dorros, Elisa Kleven (Illustrator)

Overview

While riding on a bus with her grandmother, a little girl imagines that they are carried up into the sky and fly over the sights of New York City.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780140562255
Publisher:	Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
Publication date:	05/01/1997
Series:	Puffin Book Series
Edition description:	English-language Edition
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 10.62(h) x 0.13(d)
Lexile:	510L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Arthur Dorros has enjoyed words, pictures, and books for as long as he can remember. A photograph taken when he was one and a half years old shows him eating a few. Some of his later experiences led to his creating books. When he was four years old he sat on the tail of a ten-foot long alligator. Fortunately the alligator had been well fed. Out of that adventure grew one of his first published books, ALLIGATOR SHOES.

Since 1980, he has written and/or illustrated numerous popular titles about a broad variety of subjects from nonfiction, concept science books, to high-flying stories such as the award-winning ABUELA. Before he started making books he did many things: he worked as a carpenter, teacher, farm worker, longshoreman, and photographer at various times. He loves to travel, learning about and meeting people, and discovering similarities and differences around the world. As a writer and illustrator he brings what he finds into his books. Mr. Dorros and his son currently live in Seattle, Washington.

In addition to the much-appreciated reactions of his readers, his works have been selected as Reading Rainbow Books, ALA Notable Book, American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, NCSS Notable Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies, Parent's Choice Award, Storytime Public TV Selection, and Booklist Editors' Choice, among other commendations.

He thinks of a good writer or illustrator as a detective with all senses alert, always on the lookout for the clues that help put the whole story together. He feels that everyone has stories to tell, and enjoys working with both adults and children to find the stories each of us has for the telling.

Editorial Reviews

In this tasty trip, Rosalba is ``always going places'' with her grandmother--abuela . During one of their bird-feeding outings to the park, Rosalba wonders aloud, ``What if I could fly?'' Thus begins an excursion through the girl's imagination as she soars high above the tall buildings and buses of Manhattan, over the docks and around the Statue of Liberty with Abuela in tow. Each stop of the glorious journey evokes a vivid memory for Rosalba's grandmother and reveals a new glimpse of the woman's colorful ethnic origins. Dorros's text seamlessly weaves Spanish words and phrases into the English narrative, retaining a dramatic quality rarely found in bilingual picture books. Rosalba's language is simple and melodic, suggesting the graceful images of flight found on each page. Kleven's ( Ernst ) mixed-media collages are vibrantly hued and intricately detailed, the various blended textures reminiscent of folk art forms. Those searching for solid multicultural material would be well advised to embark: Vamos ! Ages 3-7. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 2-- An innovative fantasy narrated by a Hispanic-American child who imagines she's rising into the air over the park and flying away with her loving, rosy-cheeked abuela (grandmother). From the air, they see Manhattan streets, docks, an airport, tourist attractions, and Rosalba's father's office. The simple text could be enjoyed as a read-aloud or as a read-alone for newly independent readers. What makes the book so interesting is Dorros's integration of Spanish words and phrases via Abuela's dialogue within the English text. While some phrases are translated by the child, others will be understood in context. As insurance, a glossary, which provides definitions and pronunciations, is appended. The illustrations sing out a celebration of the love and joy that underlies the brief, straightforward narrative. Combining vibrant watercolor and pastel images with interesting snippets of collage in an exuberant folk-art style, Kleven depicts the adventurous, warm-hearted Abuela and the jazzy, colorful topography of an energetic, multiethnic city. Thoughtful design extends to the endpapers featuring cloud formations that cleverly echo many images from the story. While not bilingual in the strictest sense, this book is a less self-conscious, more artfully natural approach to multicultural material. It should prove useful not only for collections in which there is need for ethnic diversity, but also as enrichment for intellectually curious children who are intrigued by the exploration of another language. --Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT

School Library Journal

"Should prove useful not only for collections in which there is need for ethnic diversity, but also as enrichment for intellectually curious children who are intrigued by the exploration of another language."—School Library Journal

"Dorros's text seamlessly weaves Spanish words and phrases into the English narrative, retaining a dramatic quality rarely found in bilingual picture books"—Publisher's Weekly

From the Publisher