Author : Tony
Johnston, Illustrator : Yuyi Morales
Preschool - 2nd Grade
My Abuelita
My Abuelita, Hardcover, English, Book, Tony Johnston, Yuyi Morales, Preschool - 2nd Grade, 9780152163303, $16.00
$448.07 for the Story Collection Pura Belpre English Set, Including 20%-Off, Free Shipping, and No Sales Tax : 24 Hardcover English Books and 18 Softcover English Books
Pura Belpre Award Honor Book in 2010 for Illustration
Abuelita's hair is the color of salt. Her face is as crinkled as a dried chile. She booms out words as wild as blossoms blooming. She stuffs her carcacha--her jalopy--with all the things she needs: a plumed snake, a castle, a skeleton, and more. Her grandson knows he has the most amazing grandmother ever--with a very important job. What does Abuelita do? With her booming voice and wonderful props, Abuelita is a storyteller. Next to being a grandmother, that may be the most important job of all. Sprinkled with Spanish and infused with love,My Abuelita is a glorious celebration of family, imagination, and the power of story.
School Library Journal ; PreSchool-Grade 1—A boy describes the morning routine he shares with his grandmother as she prepares for work. Flights of fancy enliven the tasks of bathing, eating breakfast, and dressing. When the pair arrive at her workplace, readers discover that Abuelita is a storyteller—a calling that her grandson shares. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout, often followed by brief definitions. For example, the boy says, "I live with my grandma…I call her Abuelita." Johnston effectively engages young readers' interest by mentioning the woman's work, but not revealing what she does until the final page. Morales's bold, innovative illustrations brilliantly reinforce the text. On one spread, Johnston writes that Abuelita is "robust…like a calabaza. A pumpkin." On the left, children see a cheerful, round person, while a mirror on the right shows a pumpkin with Abuelita's smiling face. The illustrations represent a fresh new direction for Morales. Characters molded from polymer clay are dressed in brightly patterned fabrics and placed among images that evoke Mexican art. Abuelita's mirror is framed by traditional metalwork, and her storytelling props include a winged serpent and a Day of the Dead skeleton. While the story is firmly placed in a Mexican context, children of all ethnic and racial backgrounds will be drawn to the eye-catching illustrations and the universal story of a loving intergenerational relationship.
Story
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