2001-2002 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List (TX Library Assn)
Smithsonian's Notable Books for Children, 2000

Juanito is bewildered by his new school, and he misses the warmth of country life. Everything he does feels upside down. He eats lunch when it's recess; he goes out to play when it's time for lunch; and his tongue feels like a rock when he tries to speak English. But a sensitive teacher and loving family help him to find his voice and make a place for himself in this new world through poetry, art, and music.

Juan Felipe Herrera's playful language and the colorful, magical art of Elizabeth Gómez capture the universal experience of children entering a new school feeling like strangers in a world that seems upside down—at first.

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

"Juan Felipe Herrera's story—the product of stream of consciousness recollections from his third grade experience—makes for a warm and vivid children's book…. Elizabeth Gómez illustrates with an equal flair for colorful metaphor." —The Bloomsbury Review

"The Upside Down Boy is more than good—it's excellent. It is … a celebration of family, and of the importance of a frank dialogue between parents and children. [Elizabeth Gómez]'s multicolored, fantastical pictures, with their vibrant colors and echoes of Marc Chagall … enrich the text with all kinds of humorous details. " —Newsweek en Español

School Library Journal : Grade 2-5-In rhythmic, flowing language, Herrera uses startlingly apt images to tell the story of a young Hispanic boy's adjustment to an Anglo school. Juanito is worried about entering a new school, afraid that his tongue will "-turn into a rock." Indeed, on the first day, this is what happens. He feels frightened, shy, and "de cabeza," upside down. Fortunately, his teacher recognizes his musical and verbal abilities, and with her encouragement and the support of his family, Juanito not only fits in, but shines. Based on Herrera's own experiences in third grade, this positive look at the process of adjustment is beautifully complemented by G-mez's brilliantly colored, primitive acrylic illustrations. Francisco Jim?nez's La Mariposa (Houghton, 1998) and Jane Medina's My Name Is Jorge: On Both Sides of the River (Boyds Mills, 1999) cover similar turf, though in a less upbeat manner. El nino is an excellent addition to a growing body of work on the experience of adjusting to life in a new culture.

Bilingual Collection Red Books :