Xochitl la nina de las flores - Xochitl and the Flowers, Del Sol Books

2003 Américas Award Commended Title
2004 Independent Publisher Book Awards Finalist

Miles away from their home in El Salvador, Xochitl (Soh-cheel) and her family make a new home in the United States. But nothing is the same. Xochitl mourns a lovely garden and her family’s small flower business, all left behind. Selling flowers on the street soon provides more than income for the Flores family: they begin to make friends with local storeowners and neighbors. But it is not until the family decides to start a nursery in its backyard that Xochitl begins to learn the true value of community in their adopted country. Basing his narrative on real-life events, prize-winning poet Jorge Argueta has crafted a tender, poetic, and moving story about a family’s determination to set down roots and about their child’s blooming among friends and neighbors. Artist Carl Angel’s authentic and brilliant artwork splendidly documents this quintessentially American immigration story.

Jorge Argueta is a prize-winning poet and teacher. Born in El Salvador, he came to San Francisco in 1980. The author of many books of poems, he is active in the cultural life of the city and teaches poetry in the public schools. He also works with humanitarian organizations to assist families and children in El Salvador. His first book for Children's Book Press, A Movie in My Pillow / Una película en mi almohada, received the 2002 Américas Award for Latin American Literature, the IPPY Award for Multicultural Fiction—Juvenile / Young Adults, and the Skipping Stones Honor Award for Multicultural & International Books.

Carl Angel is a San Francisco artist and illustrator whose work is exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. He was born in Bainbridge, Maryland, raised in Hawaii, and now lives in Oakland, California. He is the illustrator of Children’s Book Press¹ recent Lakas and the Manilatown Fish, and of the books Mga Kuwentong Bayan: Folk Stories from the Philippines and Willie Wins, and has contributed to the anthology Honoring Our Ancestors.

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

"Based on a true story, Xochitl's tale is well written in both languages. . .Angel's acrylic, colored-pencil, and photo-collage artwork is vibrant and energetic, fleshed out by the bright colors and individual faces." —School Library Journal

"The acrylic, colored-pencil, and photo collage illustrations bring this story about the dreams of one Salvadoran-American family to life. This is a fine example of what a book with a bilingual text can and should be." —The Horn Book Guide

"Full of love for family and community, this bilingual story embodies the belief that positive action can overcome the negatives of circumstance." —Kirkus Reviews

". . .there is a great deal of warmth in this tale of immigrants trying to create their American dream while keeping alive their own culture." —Bayviews

"Intended for children ages eight to twelve, this book portrays the message of community in a lesson that can benefit people of all ages . . . It is a thoughtful story that will make readers reflect on their own contributions to their community." —ForeWord Magazine

School Library Journal : Kindergarten-Grade 3-In a rather lengthy text, the story of Xochitl Flores, whose name means "flower" in Nahuatl, unfolds. Transplanted from her native El Salvador to San Francisco, the girl and her parents struggle to make the transition from one culture to another and from a rural to an urban environment. Remembering their previous home and their flower business inspires the child's mother to begin selling flowers in the city. Xochitl helps, loving the joy they bring to others even when her feet are tired. Then her father finds an apartment with a garden and the family builds a nursery. The bulk of the story is concerned with its fate at the hands of an unfeeling landlord and the community support that helps the Floreses keep it. Based on a true story, Xochitl's tale is well written in both languages, with the English text on the verso facing the Spanish text on the recto. Angel's acrylic, colored-pencil, and photo-collage artwork is vibrant and energetic, fleshed out by the bright colors and individual faces. Pair this story with Mary Hoffman's The Color of Home (Penguin Putnam, 2002) for tales of how immigrants adjust to new surroundings.
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Booklist : K-Gr. 3. Xochitl misses El Salvador, especially her family's flower business. She and her mother start selling flowers in the U.S., but Xochitl doesn't feel that she really belongs until her new community comes to the rescue to save the family livelihood. Basing his bilingual picture book on a true story, Argueta (A Movie in My Pillow, 2001) infuses his work with Salvadoran culture, writing of life in poetic language: days move like turtles, smiles bloom like flowers, and snails, like immigrants, carry their homes upon their backs. The Spanish text, likely the original, is particularly expressive. Although the story's conflict is far too easily resolved, the message about community is strong, and this is one of only a few books that deal with the Central American immigrant experience. Angel's rather flat depictions of the characters weaken the story; but his background images, including photo collages that often recap Xochitl's memories of El Salvador, are striking and very colorful.