El hombre mofle - Muffler Man, Del Sol Books

Author : Titus "Tito" Campos, Illustrators : Beto Alvarez and Lamberto Alvarez, Translator : Evangelina Vigil-Pinon
Preschool - 2nd Grade

El hombre mofle - Muffler Man

El hombre mofle - Muffler Man, Softcover, Bilingual, Book, Titus "Tito" Campos, Beto Alvarez and Lamberto Alvarez, Evangelina Vigil-Pinon, Preschool - 2nd Grade, 9781558855571, $7.95
El hombre mofle - Muffler Man, Hardcover, Bilingual, Book, Titus "Tito" Campos, Beto Alvarez and Lamberto Alvarez, Evangelina Vigil-Pinon, Preschool - 2nd Grade, 9781558853195, $15.95

Finalist, Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award

One person’s garbage is another’s gold in this bilingual children’s tale of hope and renewal

For the García family, leftovers provide the feast. Battered tin, pieces of metal, and scraps in a muffler shop inspire a young man and his family to believe in the American Dream. Young Chuy García longs to join his father, who has left Mexico in search of a better life for his family in the United States. To save money for the trip north, Chuy convinces his father's former employer at the local muffler shop to hire him to do odds and ends. There, Chuy learns something new about his father: he is the artist who made the Muffler Man, a metal statue that stands in front of the shop inviting customers inside. Once in the United States with his father, though, Chuy is surprised to find that life is more difficult than expected. Inspired by his father's art, the tin figures fashioned together out of scrap metal pieces found scattered about the shop, Chuy helps his father find a way to prosper in their new homeland. Muffler Man / El hombre mofle celebrates a unique form of Latino folk art, and the role it plays in the life of a young boy who won't take no for an answer. This story for readers aged 3 to 7 inspires the dreamer in us all.

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

School Library Journal : Gr 2-4 - Chuy Garcia misses his dad, who left their small town in Mexico the year before for the United States with promises to send for his wife and son as soon as he found work. In the interim, the boy gets a job cleaning up at the muffler shop where his dad used to work, encouraged by the supportive proprietor, Don C‚sar. During the course of the summer, Chuy learns that the statue made from old muffler parts that hangs outside the shop is the creative work of his father. With his wages and a generous gift from Don C‚sar, he and his mother are able to move north and reunite the family. There he aids his demoralized dad in building new muffler men, so that eventually the man can support the family with his artistic ventures. The folksy prose with its gently delivered message is extended by eye-catching artwork. Somber hues and forms surrounded by heavy black lines coupled with odd perspectives give this book the look of revisionist woodblock prints. This title could be effectively paired with Tony Johnston's excellent Uncle Rain Cloud (Charlesbridge, 2001) to show that children can help adults adapt to new circumstances.

Booklist : Ages 5-8 - Chuy Garcia waits in Mexico; his father is in the U.S., where there is so much money "you can sweep it up off the street." In Mexico, Mr. Garcia, who used to work in a muffler shop, once made a life-size figure out of old metal parts. With persistence, Chuy gets a job at the shop, and the owner eventually helps him and his mother move to the U.S. But Chuy realizes money is not as easy to come by as he thought. It's only when Chuy gets his father to put his artistic talent to work again--making first one, then many muffler men--that the family comes closer to the American dream. The story meanders a bit, but the themes of perseverance and following a dream are strong pillars for the tale. Elevating the bilingual text are marvelously bold pictures that resemble woodcuts, their rainbow sherbet colors giving a glow to the sturdy, innovative artwork that suits the idea of statues made of metal. An original immigrant story with an uplifting ending.

Bilingual Collection Blue Books :