La ultima muneca - The Last Doll, Del Sol Books

Author : Diane Gonzales Bertrand, Illustrator : Anthony Accardo, Translator : Alejandra Balestra
Preschool - 2nd Grade

La ultima muneca - The Last Doll

La ultima muneca - The Last Doll, Hardcover, Bilingual, Book, Diane Gonzales Bertrand, Anthony Accardo, Alejandra Balestra , Preschool - 2nd Grade, 1558852905, # 10169h, $15.95

A bilingual children’s tale about saving the best for last.

Toys today can walk and talk, run and jump, boom and vroom, glow and crow. So how is a classy doll in a room full of robots to compete? The beautiful but old-fashioned Sarita sadly watches as her shelf-mates are purchased by eager shoppers and taken home. She looks out through the dust-covered plastic of her box, and she worries that she will be the last one. Every day she preens and puts her best porcelain face forward, but every evening, she remains on the shelf. Finally one day, a tall man in a black mustache decides that she is perfect, and that she absolutely must be the last doll for his godchild, Teresa, on her quinceañera. Sarita's alarm at still being last quickly shifts to pride when she realizes that sometimes people save the best for last. Together, the heartwarming tale and the lovingly depicted illustrations offer the reader a glimpse into this special day in the life of the young girl Teresa, her godparents, her family, her friends—and, of course, Sarita, her última muñeca.

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

School Library Journal : Gr 1-4-Sarita, a beautiful costume doll in a fancy white dress, fears she will never be purchased. When she is bought, however, it is by a fierce, mustachioed man who tells her that she will be la £ltima mu-eca, the last doll, for his goddaughter, Teresa. Sarita is confused, but all becomes clear when she is taken to Teresa's quincea-era celebration. Pedestrian prose, both in the English and the workmanlike Spanish translation, walks readers through the lavish celebration. Its purpose is clearly spelled out, and the pretty, commercial, full-color acrylic illustrations featuring girls who resemble Barbie and Skipper not only clarify the text but also have a certain slick appeal. Despite the rather formulaic text and illustrations, The Last Doll does meet a need. This is a high-interest bilingual presentation of an important Hispanic rite of passage that will serve as an introduction to dryer but more informative books, such as Mary Lankford's Quincea-era.

Booklist : Ages 4-8. Worried about "being the last doll left all alone on the shelf," Sarita is finally purchased by a man who mysteriously declares, "You are perfect. You will be the last doll for my godchild, Teresa, on her birthday." And so the pretty doll, dressed in her white lace gown trimmed with pearls, is taken to a quinceanera, the traditional fifteenth birthday celebration for Latinas marking their entry into womanhood, and given to Teresa, who is dressed in a wedding gown similar to that of the doll. Colored with lots of Barbie-doll pink and with perfectly posed illustrations, this frothy confection will probably delight the hearts of doll-loving girls and make non-Latinas long for their own quinceanera coming-out parties.

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