|
A great book-My wife was born in NYC and speaks spanish so our 6 yr old granddaughter calls her abuela or grandma. It was fun to fly over the city. She enjoyed both books Abuela and Isla-wonderful story and illustrations.
I love Elisa Kleven, the illustrator, but thought it was a silly story. I finally got a copy, read it to my children and preschool students, and they love it. I love the pictures and letting them search for "perros" and "gatos", "pájaros" and "globos". The children learn Spanish as they look.
I first purchased this book for my classroom library. My kindergartners loved the illustrations and the use of Spanish mixed in with English. I used this book as a starting point for many creative writing assignments. I have given this book as gifts to many people and most recently, my two-year old gave this book to her "Abuela" for Mother's Day.
The author slips in and out of the two languages, Spanish and English so easily. I love reading this to my 3-year old daughter. It is the best way to read a story. The pictures are so colorful and full of detail. The language and tone is so fine. It is fantastic for my daughter's imagination. She is flying just like Rosalba, just like we all did when we were young.We also love her other book "Isla".
The two often go on enjoyable trips around and about town, just for the heck of it. A pairing of the two during a storytime would not be out of place.When I write reviews of picture books, this paragraph tends to be the space where I say something along the lines of "Of course the book itself would be nothing without the pictures". It's there that Rosalba begins to speculate a little. The birds gone, the two could soar above factories, trains, people, and workers. Finally, illustrator Elisa Kleven has imbued her main character with a great deal of liveliness.
What if the birds picked her up and started flying away with her. They race the sailboats, hitch a ride with an airplane, and hug on a cloud. What caught me off guard was the level of detail and the multitude of colors and fabrics lining the corners and seams of every page. On this particular day, the woman and the girl go to the park (Central Park, by the look of it) to feed the birds. One of the best, without question, is L.M. If humans could fly, this is the best possible way they could look in sky.It is not possible to be disappointed with "Abuela".
They wave to the people and visit the Statue of Liberty. Aside from that, it's a great text, remenicient of Faith Ringgold's other kids-flying-above-New-York picture book, "Tar Beach". They hide delicate little intricacies on each and every page, just waiting for the viewer to find them. It's hard to resist the charms of a picture book filled to brimming with tiny fabulous details in a vast cityscape. Taking a standard fantasy of wishing to fly, author Dorros and illustrator Elisa Kleven have given us a remarkable journey above a world too complex to capture in a single book. "Vamos" Abuela says, and she takes her granddaughter's hand.There are quite a few remarkable Spanish/English picture books out there in the world today. While some books throw fabrics and other elements into their pictures in a distinctly slap-dash fashion, "Abuela" subtley works them into the context of the illustrations without distracting you or drawing your eye away from the action. The illustrations in this book are remarkable.
"Abuela" is no different and though it may seem a little repetitive, I say it again. Kids that read this tale will be envious of Rosalba and her beloved grandmother. What if her Abuela simply leapt into the sky and flew too. Yet I've never read a picture book that contains such remarkably colorful embellishments as I have in Arthur Dorros' 1991 treasure, "Abuela".
The story itself is well told, though its definitely left unclear whether or not the fantastic events that take place in this book are true or false. Usually books of this nature are very precise. This is perhaps the most subtle picture book I have ever seen in terms of how it uses mixed media. What follows is a story in which Rosalba describes the path the two could take while skimming across the sky.
Gonzalez's, "The Bossy Gallito". Plus the fact that everything is bright, colorful, and lively without ever straying into gaudy territory. It's probably one of the reasons I love books like, "Who Needs Donuts." by Mark Stamaty or James Warhola's, "Uncle Andy's" so much. Then there are the thousands of details lining each and every page. Whether it's Abuela's purple dotted purse or the fabric crested tops of buildings, the mixed-media here is perfectly melded to the story. A beautiful story unencumbered by weight or gravity. Adults will coo at the pretty pictures and helpful text. There's a helpful dictionary of Spanish to English terms for those words and phrases in the text that kids (or adults) didn't quite understand.
To read this book is to experience something beautiful.Rosalba is quite close to her Grandmother or "Abuela" as she is called in Spanish. The book is a fun fancy-free encapsulation of the ultimate flight of fancy. In the end, the two are back in the park and they decide to go on another adventure in a boat. But "Abuela" is just as good in many ways. Rosalba and her Abuela dip and dive and swoop with perfect grace and poise. Lovely.
|
