Author : Juan Felipe Herrera,
Illustrator : Ernesto Cuevas Jr
Preschool - 2nd Grade
Desplumado - Featherless
Desplumado - Featherless, Hardcover, Bilingual, Book, Juan Felipe Herrera, Ernesto Cuevas Jr, Preschool - 2nd Grade, 9780892391950, $16.95
$415.76 for the Bilingual Collection Red Books Set , Including 20%-Off, Free Shipping, and No Sales Tax : 17 Hardcover Bilingual Books and 29 Softcover Bilingual Books
One of
Criticas Magazine's Best Books of 2004
2005 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Award
Kids
race across the grass,
swooping like kites over an emerald sea.
No one notices
how fast I can spin my wheels.
Will I ever catch up?
Will they ever see me?
At his new school or on the soccer field, all everyone wants to know is why
Tomasito is in a wheelchair. His Papi gives Tomasito a new pet to make him
smile, but this bird is a little bitþdifferent from the rest. Can Tomasito's
featherless friend teach him that there's more than one way to fly? Can the
cheers Tomasito hears on the sidelines ever be for him?
Award-winning author and poet Juan Felipe Herrera scores yet again with this
sparkling story of friendship and self-empowerment. The brilliant acrylic
paintings by Ernesto Cuevas, Jr., burst off the page with sheer joy.
Juan Felipe Herrera is a nationally renowned Mexican American poet, playwright,
essayist, and teacher. His first children's book, Calling
the Doves, won the prestigious Ezra Jack Keats Award for New Writers.
Another book, The
Upside Down Boy, has been adapted into a musical for young audiences
and had its world premiere in New York in January of 2004. He currently teaches
at California State University, Fresno.
Ernesto Cuevas, Jr. grew to love the arts through his experiences in the fields
with his parents, who were migrant farmworkers. His vivid paintings represent a
deep understanding and love for his Mexican American culture and history. A
talented fine artist and founder of his own graphic design firm, Ernesto makes
his debut as a children's book illustrator with Featherless/Desplumado. He lives
in Atlanta, Georgia.
Listen to Vienna Rose read Featherless to you. A marvelous example of the magical encounter between a child and books that we wish for all children.
Tomasito's dream of
flying with Desplumado and his incorporation into a soccer team help youngsters
understand that disabled children share their longings and hopes, as well as the
ability to achieve and participate. Cuevas's paintings are full-spread and
boldly colored, combining realism with cartoon-style simplicity; their broad
washes and fuzzy edges reveal the texture of the paper on which they were
created. Both Spanish and English texts are direct, inviting, and
expressive." — Kirkus Reviews
"Desplumado is a unique and worthwhile book that turns a sensitive subject
into an enjoyable story both in words and images. Highly recommended for all
collections." — Criticas STARRED Review
"This bilingual children's book is a thoughtful story that may well aid in
the opening of young minds. Skillfully translated, the text contains fun
sound-effect words such as "Pop-pop-zaz" and "¡Tilín!, ¡Tilín!,
¡Tilín!, ¡Tilín!" that add a feeling of presence and participation in
the story. This book belongs in the collections of people who care about others
and who wish to inform." — ForeWord Magazine
School Library Journal : Grade 1-3–Tomasito is having a hard time adjusting to
his new school. Even though he wants to do what the other kids do, spina bifida
keeps him wheelchair bound. To help him with his transition, his supportive and
loving father gives him a new pet. Desplumadois a featherless bird that cannot
fly. But, as Tomasito learns with the help of a new friend, there is more than
one way to fly, and more than one way to play soccer. He is great at heading the
ball, and as his participation and inclusion in the Fresno Flyers soccer team
becomes a reality. Herrera's prose poem is a paean to those children who
overcome adversity to create inclusion. Cuevas's oil illustrations, with forms
surrounded by heavy black lines, work well in the soccer scenes but seem lumpy
and inert in the indoor scenes, where the hues are darker and muddier. Still,
this title could be used for a storytime focus on acceptance and tolerance and
in ELL programs.
Booklist : K-Gr. 3. In this bilingual picture book, the text is better than the
somewhat garish acrylic illustrations. Unable to walk because of his spina
bifida, Tomasito feels unconnected in his new school. His father brings him a
featherless parrot for company, but the boy wants nothing to do with a bird that
looks so different. Eventually, Tomasito finds a place for himself on the soccer
field, where he learns that one doesn't necessarily need feathers to fly. The
message is heavy, but always the poet, Herrera transforms the language to depict
both the boy's isolation and later his boundless joy. The Spanish offers
slightly richer detail than the English: a "casita-trailer" is
more descriptive, for example, than the simple trailer. An encouraging
story, especially for Latino children with disabilities, who may recognize
themselves and find their own ways to fly. Julie Kline
Bilingual
Collection Red Books :