Neighborhood Odes

by Gary Soto, David Diaz (Illustrator)

Overview

Award-winning poet Gary Soto and Caldecott winner David Diaz turn their eyes on the world of kids. From family pictures to pinatas, from the gato with a meow like a rusty latch to Fourth of July fireworks, the startling and often overlooked moments that define childhood are vividly brought to life by these two acclaimed talents.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780152053642
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	04/01/2005
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	153,016
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.62(h) x 0.26(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Gary Soto 's first book for young readers, Baseball in April and Other Stories, won the California Library Association's Beatty Award and was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. He has since published many novels, short stories, plays, and poetry collections for adults and young people. He lives in Berkeley, California. Visit his website at www.garysoto.com .

David Diaz has illustrated numerous award-winning books for children, including Smoky Night by Eve Bunting, for which he was awarded the Caldecott Medal; The Wanderer by Sharon Creech, which received a Newbery Honor; and Diego: Bigger Than Life by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, a Pura Belpré Honor Award winner. An illustrator and graphic designer for more than twenty-five years, he is also a painter and an accomplished ceramic artist. Mr. Diaz lives in Carlsbad, California.

Table of Contents

	Ode to Los Raspados	1
	Ode to La Tortilla	4
	Ode to the Sprinkler	6
	Ode to Senor Leal's Goat	10
	Ode to Mi Perrito	14
	Ode to Los Chicharrones	17
	Ode to Pablo's Tennis Shoes	20
	Ode to La Llorona	23
	Ode to Mi Parque	26
	Ode to Mi Gato	30
	Ode to My Library	33
	Ode to La Pinata	37
	Ode to a Day in the Country	39
	Ode to El Guitarron	42
	Ode to Fireworks	46
	Ode to Weight Lifting	48
	Ode to Weddings	50
	Ode to Pomegranates	55
	Ode to El Molcajete	59
	Ode to Family Photographs	63
	Ode to the Mayor	64
	Spanish Words and Phrases	67

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"With humor, sensitivity, and insight, Soto explores the lives of children . . . David Diaz's contemporary black-and-white illustrations . . . effortlessly capture the varied moods . . . of this remarkable collection."—The Horn Book

"Through Soto's keen eyes, [readers] see, and will be convinced, that there is poetry in everything . . . An expression of joy and wonder at life's daily pleasures and mysteries."
—School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

"With humor, sensitivity, and insight, Soto explores the lives of children . . . David Diaz's contemporary black-and-white illustrations . . . effortlessly capture the varied moods . . . of this remarkable collection."—The Horn Book

"Through Soto's keen eyes, [readers] see, and will be convinced, that there is poetry in everything . . . An expression of joy and wonder at life's daily pleasures and mysteries."
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

The Hispanic neighborhood in Soto's 21 poems is brought sharply into focus by the care with which he records images of everyday life: the music of an ice cream vendor's truck, the top of a refrigerator where old bread lies in plastic, dust released into the air when a boy strums a guitar. The diverse voices include that of a 12-year-old girl ``with hair that sings / like jump ropes'' and a fourth-grade boy whose new teeth create the ``racket / Of chicharron / Being devoured . . . .'' The vocabulary sprinkled with Spanish (there is a glossary at the back of the book) remains consistent, as does the form of the poems, which fall in long vertical columns with short lines. The tight clumps of language reproduce the quality of rapid and playful conversation. Affectionate without being overly sentimental, the collection provides a good introduction to contemporary poetry as well as a fine homage to a Chicano community. Diaz's woodcuts complement the poems perfectly: the silhouettes are fanciful and dynamic but do not draw attention from the words on the page. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Neighborhood Odes is a collection of Gary Soto's down-to-earth poems about life in his Mexican-American neighborhood. Sans Spanish words, they could be about kids in any neighborhood. Mr. Soto helps us see the common, ordinary things we take for granted: "tennis shoes... / twin pets / That snuggle his toes..." or a sprinkler that takes the place of a swimming pool, "The Helicopter / Of water / Slicing our legs..." You want to bite into the freshly cooked tortilla rolled like a flute and spread with "a ribbon of yellow butter" These poems have a staccato beat, the way kids might talk when they're in a hurry. A glossary of Spanish words and phrases is included in the back. Black-and-white illustrations are by David Diaz.

Children's Literature - Jan Lieberman

Exuberant language and strong rhythms combine with striking cut-paper images to create a joyous tribute to tennis shoes, "mi gato" and other fun stuff.

Children's Literature - Mary Quattlebaum

Gr 4 Up-- The rewards of well-chosen words that create vivid, sensitive images await readers of this collection of poems. Through Soto's keen eyes, they see, and will be convinced, that there is poetry in everything. The odes celebrate weddings, the anticipation of fireworks, pets, grandparents, tortillas, and the library. Although Soto is dealing with a Chicano neighborhood, the poetry has a universal appeal. A minor drawback is that the Spanish words are not translated on the page, but in a glossary; to consult it interrupts the reading. Still, children will surely recognize the joy, love, fear, excitement, and adventure Soto brings to life. It is the same sensitivity and clarity found in Baseball in April (HBJ, 1990), his collection of short stories. Black-and-white illustrations blend well with the astute verbal imagery. Each selection is an expression of joy and wonder at life's daily pleasures and mysteries. --Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ

School Library Journal