La última muñeca / The Last Doll

The Last Doll / La última muñeca
By / Por Diane Gonzales Bertrand
Illustrations by / Ilustraciones por Anthony Accardo
Spanish translation by / Traducción al español por Alejandra Balestra
2000

This book brought the song “La Última Muñeca” to my mind when I first saw it. As a child I constantly heard this song, a very sad song about a father who buys his daughter her last doll, but doesn’t show it to her in the end, because he realizes that his daughter is now a young woman. This book starts off with a doll named Sarita who gets looked over at a toy story. Finally a gentleman buys her for a special occasion – the Quinceañera of his goddaughter Teresa. The party is shown beautifully – mariachis are playing and there is an arch where the dancers walk through, and the cake even has the small staircases that are often used in cakes for a girl’s fifteenth birthday in Hispanic culture. This book is very nostalgic. The writing is well done and the illustrations are very beautiful, with characters portrayed realistically. It makes me wish Sarita was a real doll that was available for purchase for special occasions. I’m very glad this book is around to celebrate the traditions of the 15th birthday in Hispanic culture. A must-have for Spanish collections.

Make sure to check out the lyrics to the song I mentioned earlier:

Nunca nos damos cuenta de cómo un rosal crece
Hasta el día en que florece la rosa una mañana
Quisiéramos que fueran nuestros hijos, niños siempre
Pero de repente, un día, les brotan alas
Hoy le compré a mi niña, el último juguete
No me había dado cuenta, de lo que ya creció
Se acabo el entusiasmo, ya se acabó aquel brete
De a ver qué trajo papi, ahora que volvió
Hoy le compré a mi niña, el último juguete
No me había dado cuenta, de lo que ya creció

Hoy, que me dió el abrazo de bienvenida
Noté que está mas alta, y que se perfumó
Cómo pasaron cosas, en unos cuantos días
Obra maravillosa, se hizo rosa el botón

Hoy le compré a mi niña, la última muñeca
No me había dado cuenta, se está haciendo mujer
Hoy le compré a mi niña, la última muñeca
La última muñeca, y ni se la enseñé

Y ahora se pasa, horas y horas en los espejos
Ella se mira de frente, de espalda, de perfil
Ahora ya ni me dice, papi cuéntame un cuento
Y a veces, ni me besa cuando se va a dormir

Hoy, que me dio el abrazo de bienvenida
Noté que está mas alta, y que se perfumó
Cómo pasaron cosas, en unos cuantos días
Obra maravillosa, se hizo rosa el botón

Hoy le compré a mi niña, la última muñeca
No me había dado cuenta, se está haciendo mujer
Hoy le compré a mi niña, la última muñeca
La última muñeca, y ni se la enseñé

Source: http://artists.letssingit.com/los-baron-de-apodaca-lyrics-la-ultima-muneca-3cj5k7w#ixzz39eQiBGHO
LetsSingIt - Your favorite Music Community

Calavera Abecedario

Calavera Abecedario: A Day of the Dead Alphabet Book

Jeanette Winter

2004

I really love many of Jeanette Winter’s books. Her illustrations, for me, capture the color and vibrancy in Mexican culture. This book is a perfect example of that. Every color on every page, every different calavera and their profession, is perfect. This book reminds me of the books by Cynthia Weill, because it introduces the reader to a Mexican artisan and their body of work. We learn about Don Pedro, who makes skeletons for the Dia de los Muertos celebrations every year. He works tirelessly day after day with his family to make countless skeletons. We are shown an alphabet-full of skeletons, from Doctor to Quimico to Unicornio to Vaquero, all incredibly detailed. At the end of the celebrations, Don Pedro goes back home and wakes the next day to begin his work again in preparation for the next year (reminds me a little of Santa Claus). The end describes Mexican celebrations and tells us about Don Pedro Linares and his famous cartoneria creations. His children now carry on the tradition of creating these festive skeletons. A unique presentation of an artisan and his craft, the alphabet, different professions, and Mexican traditions.

The Land of Lost Things / Lupita's First Dance

The Land of Lost Things / El País de las Cosas Perdidas
Dina Bursztyn
2011

We follow the narrator as they travel to the Land of Lost Things, a place where buttons, pencils, and other things go when we cannot find them. Pencils become trees in a forest, scissors become butterflies, umbrellas can be found in a garden, and a flock of socks is playing in the wind. The narrator interacts with the items, until finally they arrive back in their own world. This is a very nice story that everyone will have fun reading, especially if you know of the feeling of being unable to find that lost sock pair. The imagination of the narrator is full of creativity, and will inspire children to use their own imaginations.

Lupita’s First Dance / El Primer Baile de Lupita
2013
Lupe Ruiz-Flores
Ill. by Gabhor Utomo

Lupita's class will be giving a performance of ‘La Raspa’ and this will be Lupita's first time dancing in front of an audience. Her mother helps her with her dress, and she practices with her partner. When the night of the dance arrives, Lupita's partner cannot make it to the dance! She is so disappointed, but as she watches the pairs dance on stage, a sudden impulse pushes her on the stage with them, and she dances beautifully. I love how the dresses are illustrated and how Lupita's family supports her so much, from helping her with her dress to attending the performance. The disappointment in Lupita's face is shown so clearly you cannot help but feel sad for her. And the incredible courage it took for Lupita to dance on stage by herself makes you want to cheer for her. A very good story about doing what you love.

Mi Familia Calaca / My Skeleton Family

Mi Familia Calaca / My Skeleton Family
2013
Cynthia Weill
Paper mache by Jesús Canseco Zárate

Like Cynthia Weill's other books, Mi Familia Calaca is bright, vibrant, colorful, and perfect for learning words in Spanish and English. Anita, a young skeleton girl, introduces us to her family: brothers, parents, grandparents, great-grandmother, and pets. She says something about each one of them: her brother can be a troublemaker, and her pets are her best friends. This book is crisp and clear and very good for beginning readers. This book also introduces us to the paper mache artwork of Jesús Canseco Zárate, who did a wonderful job of crafting each of the family members. Beautiful!

My Little Car / Mi Carrito

My Little Car / Mi Carrito
2006
Gary Soto
Ill. by Pam Paparone

Teresa receives a gift from her Abuelo Benito: a small green lowrider car that she can power by pedaling. It is the envy of the neighborhood, and Teresa receives many compliments. As time goes on, however, Teresa begins to ignore her little car, and soon it is falling apart. Teresa's little sister asks for the car, but Teresa says no. She takes it out for a ride, and is surprised by a dog, who chases her down the block. Teresa pedals as hard as she can and her ltitle carrito pulls through without falling apart. Realizing her neglect, Teresa begins to fix her little car, and soon her grandpa Benny arrives. The car is in such bad shape that he cannot recognize it. He helps Teresa fix her car and they make it look good as new. I loved the colorful illustrations of this picture book, and while I like the scene of the dog chase because it made Teresa realize how dependable her car was, I feel that there could have been another way for her to realize the value of the car. At the same time, this book accurately portrays the way some people really like something in the beginning, only to forget about it soon after, and teaches about appreciating what you have.

More Interesting Articles

These were some very interesting articles from listservs I follow.

Salon: #WeNeedDiverseBooks goes viral

Lee and Low Books: Where Can I Find Great Diverse Children's Books?

New York Public Library: Celebrating Diverse Children's Books: These Stories Dazzle and Reflect

NPR - New Initiative Aims to Encourage Diversity in Kids' Publishing

Teen Librarian Toolbox: Dear Media: Let Me Help You Write That Article on YA Literature

Anne Ursu: On 'The John Green Effect,' Contemporary Realism, and Form as a Political Act

Zetta Elliott, The Huffington Post: It's Not Me, It's You: Letting Go of the Status Quo

There is also a great list of Native authors and illustrators by Debbie Reese at American Indians in Children's Literature, and this is the link to her WeNeedDiverseBooks post.

Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: a Migrant's Tale

Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: a Migrant’s Tale
2013
Duncan Tonatiuh
The rains have not come, and Pancho Rabbit's father and some of the other workers have to travel to El Norte to find work. When he is about to return Pancho's family plans a big party, but they never arrive. Pancho knows that there is something wrong, so he asks a Coyote to help him get to the North. The path is long and difficult, and Pancho has to pay the Coyote in food that he had planned to give his father. Soon, Pancho runs out of food, and the Coyote makes plans to eat the rabbit instead! Thankfully, Pancho's father and his friends are nearby and hear Pancho's yell for help, and the Coyote flees. Pancho, his father, and his father's friends go back home now that Pancho has learned the way.

This book is really a treasure, and a necessity. Using animal characters, especially the Coyote in the role of the "Coyote," was a really good idea that will help children see the plight of the migrants who make the difficult journey North for work. The story conveys the fact that many people who come to work in the United States as migrants do not always have a choice; there is simply no work for them back home. They have to stay away from their families for long periods, and the journey here and back is very difficult. And, sadly, the Coyote can sometimes turn out to be a villain in disguise. By telling the story from Pancho Rabbit's point of view, we see the worry families go through when their loved ones leave, and when, unfortunately, some never return.

This is a very serious and sad part of life for many migrant families, and this book conveys the reality and hardships undertaken for a better life in a way that young children can understand.