Estela en el mercado de pulgas - Estelas Swap, Del Sol Books

Estela en el mercado de pulgas, Softcover, Spanish, Book, Alexis O'Neill, Enrique O. Sanchez, Preschool - 2nd Grade, 9781584302469, $8.95
Estelas Swap, Softcover, English, Book, Alexis O'Neill, Enrique O. Sanchez, Preschool - 2nd Grade, 9781600602535, $8.95

$121.80 for Story Collection Orange Books Spanish Set, Including 20%-Off, Free Shipping, and No Sales Tax : 2 Hardcover Bilingual Books, 12 Softcover Spanish Books, and 1 Softcover Bilingual Book

Estela en el mercado de pulgas, Estelas Swap, Del Sol Books

Best of Beyond Difference, Vermont Center of the Book
California Collections, California Readers

A Mexican American girl learns to value the act of giving when she attends her first swap meet..

Estela is excited. This is her first time at Swap Meet, and she is looking forward to earning the final ten dollars she needs for folk dancing lessons at the Ballet Folklórico during the summer.

Papa, Estela, and her brother Javier set up their stall, and Estela stations herself there, waiting for someone to show interest in her music box, which plays a cheerful song. An older woman across the way, who is selling dried and tissue paper flowers, is delighted with the song, but she is not interested in buying. She just continues to pass the time sewing the hem of a falda—a beautiful skirt that would be perfect for dancing, Estela thinks.

Suddenly a strong wind whips though the Swap Meet, and the woman across the way calls out that her flowers are blowing away. Estela grabs her music box (for safe keeping) and rushes to help. But then she hears another crash. Her music box has fallen and is covered with broken flower pots.
Luckily the music box still works and is in saleable condition. But then Estela realizes the flower seller has nothing left and will have to work hard all week to make more flowers. On the spot, Estela decides to give her the music box so she can listen to the cheerful music while she works.

Back at their stall, Estela thinks about what she will bring to sell at Swap Meet next week. She may not have earned the money she needs this week, but her heart has grown from an act of giving and compassion. And then there is the surprise the flower seller has in store for her!

Author Alexis O’Neill has crafted a lively contemporary story of a young girl working to fulfill her dream, and learning about generosity and compassion along the way. Warm, luminous paintings by Enrique O. Sanchez bring Estela and the exciting atmosphere of the Swap Meet to life.

Listen to Vienna Rose read Estela's Swap to you. A marvelous example of the magical encounter between a child and books that we wish for all children.

"Estela goes with her father and her brother to the Swap Meet, hoping to earn the ten dollars she needs to pay for folk-dancing lessons by selling a colorful music box that plays Cielito Lindo. After they have set up their stand, her father introduces her to the art of bargaining. Estela handles the customers’ offers well, but no one wants to pay anywhere near the price she’s asking. When a sudden gust of March wind blows away all the paper flowers of the friendly woman in a neighboring stand, Estela impulsively gives her the music box that no one has purchased. ‘Suddenly she knew what she had to do, even if it meant she wouldn’t earn any money today.’ In a surprise ending that careful readers may anticipate, Estela is surprised to receive something wonderful in return. ‘Since we are at a Swap Meet,’ the woman said, ‘it is only fair that we swap.’ Sanchez’s colorful pastels effectively focus attention on the main characters and objects by delineating them clearly, while softening the outlines of the others. Seven Spanish names and expressions are included in a glossary and pronunciation guide...This is a well-crafted tale featuring a Mexican-American father and children will be wonderful for reading aloud to individuals or to groups." –KIRKUS REVIEWS

"O’Neill subtly weaves details of trades and bargaining into the fabric of her story to give readers a tangible taste of swaps or flea markets. Sanchez uses richly colored, bright acrylics to render the energy and bustle of a Swap Meet in his full-bleed illustrations The text is skillfully incorporatcd into the illustrations and the focus on each spread remains firmly on the plucky heroine. All in all, a wonderful bargain." –SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

"This is a warm, nicely paced story about sharing and bartering that's filled with sensory descriptions of the vibrant open market. The textured acrylics capture the hum and bustle of the stalls, but the colorful scenery doesn't overwhelm the story. Sanchez paints the characters in sharp focus, so that they pop out against the blurred, evocative background scenes. A good starting point for classroom discussion across the curriculum." –BOOKLIST

"This beautifully illustrated book gives a look into an exciting Hispanic American tradition: the swap meet. Readers will learn a few Spanish words. They will also learn about the the world of markets and swap meets and how bartering works. Readers will love the fun, colorful way this information is presented. Lower elementary students will enjoy this story and learn the importance of helping others." –LIBRARY MATERIALS GUIDE, CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS INTERNATIONAL

"While no Southern California locale is mentioned by name, Simi Valley author Alexis O'Neill has set this simple, charming tale at a swap meet where Santa Ana winds blow-where, indeed, those winds provide a major 'plot' twist at the end. The story revolves around young Estela, who hopes to earn enough money working her father's booth to buy dancing lessons at the Ballet Folklorico. Sanchez provides not only blowing palm trees in the background, but a color scheme that is both saturated and muated all at once-with the vivid exception of a bright orange skirt that comes to represent Estela's Folklorico hopes. It's a tale about perserverance and generosity, though my in-house 8 year old expert also took to the swap meet marketing tips: "If you're a kid who wants to learn how to make money," he averred, "read this book!" –Mark London Williams, STUDIO CITY SUN

"The illustrations, while colorful, interesting, and informative, are an intergral part of the story because the reader learns from them the types of things sold or traded at swap meets. The culture represented in this story is depicted realistically and without stereotypes. This story could be used in a lower elementary classroom to discuss the values of generosity, hard work, and compassion for others that exist in this culture and in others around the world. Estela's Swap may also be used to expose students to quality multicultural literature." –THE ONEONTA READING JOURNAL