The Road to Santiago, Del Sol Books

Author : D. H. Figueredo, Illustrator : Pablo Torrecilla
1st Grade - 4th Grade

The Road to Santiago

The Road to Santiago, Hardcover, English, Book, D. H. Figueredo, Pablo Torrecilla, 1st Grade - 4th Grade, 9781584300595, # 10148h, $16.95

The Road to Santiago Original Art Show, Society of Illustrators

A fictional story about a boy and his family in Havana who overcome obstacles to reach their relatives in Santiago to celebrate Christmas during the Cuban revolution in the 1950s.

It’s Noche Buena, the night before Christmas, and Alfredito and his parents head for the train station for their annual trip to their relatives in Santiago. But this year things are different. The government is fighting a war against the rebels and the trains are not running. Alfredito worries that they’ll miss the family’s traditional Christmas celebration and all the special foods.

Alfredito’s father enlists the help of a farmer, and they set out down the bumpy road. Little does Alfredito know, they are embarking on a great adventure he will never forget.

Based on author D.H. Figueredo’s own experiences growing up in Cuba in the late 1950s, THE ROAD TO SANTIAGO is an action-packed celebration of the human spirit. This heartwarming story is perfect for sharing with the whole family all year long.

"Alfredito loves visiting his grandmother in Santiago on Noche Buena (Christmas Eve), but when he and his parents arrive at the train station in Havana, they discover that civil war has broken out and rebels have blown up the train tracks. Undeterred, Papi finds a farmer to drive them to the next town where they catch a bus; along the way, strangers show them many kindnesses. When they finally make it to Abuela's house, the extended family puts off dinner until after la misa del gallo (midnight mass) because they have so much to be thankful for. Torrecilla's brightly colored acrylic paintings evoke a flavor of the 1950s in clothing, home interiors, and vehicles; the Cuban setting, like the story itself, is both exotic and familiar. The spare, first-person text and the luminous illustrations are perfectly juxtaposed to present a memorable slice of life from another time, when . . ."despite the war, it was still Christmas, it was still Noche Buena, and the world was still good and beautiful."–SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

"Spun from his memories of 1958 Cuba, Figueredo's (When This World Was New) tale gets off to a burdensome start, but later pulses with authenticity and drama. Alfredito and his family find their Christmas plans derailed—literally—when Castro's rebels blow up the train track between Havana, where Alfredito lives, and Santiago, where the extended family gathers at Abuela's. . . .Torrecilla's bright, sun-washed acrylics often capture the sultry beauty of Christmas in Cuba. . ."–PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"Focused sharply on the child's longing to celebrate with his relatives, the story of their journey reflects the circumstances of civil war without partisan rancor or needless violence. Torrecilla's full-color illustrations embody the warmth of the text and expand on it, filling the pages with lush tropical foliage, period dress, aging vehicles, and the soldiers of the embattled president. Coupled with Liz Rosenberg's The Silence in the Mountains, (1999), this can be used to present a relatively non-threatening look at how civil violence, in two very different locales, can affect a child's life. It also adds to the always sparsely filled shelf of first-rate multicultural Christmas tales. . . ."–KIRKUS REVIEWS

"Torrecilla illustrates this odyssey with brightly lit scenes of tight-lipped figures in 1950s-style hair and dress, posed against clean, if somewhat rundown, urban and rural backgrounds. . . .It's the remembered ringing of the cathedral bells, and the taste of the sweet buñelo in Figueredo's hand, however, that will leave the strongest impression on children."–BOOKLIST

"Told from the perspective of young Alfredito, this is another story which confirms that even during trying times of civil unrest or war, there is always some sliver of hope to be found."–NEWS SENTINEL, Knoxville, Tennessee

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