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Sometimes a book is more than just a book. (And, no, I'm not talking about flaps, or fur, or sparkles here.) This month
The Edge of the Forest takes a look at picture books with something
more—bilingual text, search and find, or even a sing-a-long cd. Enjoy!
Family Pictures/Cuadros de Familia; Magic Windows/Ventanas mágicas
by Carmen Lomas Garza
Reviewed by Susan Thomsen, Chicken Spaghetti
Children's Book Press recently published a 15th anniversary edition of Carmen Lomas Garza's Family Pictures. One
of the San Francisco-based publisher's most popular titles, the bilingual picture book won a Pura Belpré honor some years
ago for its art work. (The Belpré awards are given biannually to Latino writers and illustrators.)
Garza paints vivid, colorful pictures of her growing-up years in South Texas and pays tribute to the closeness of her
Mexican American family all along the way. Her style is in the folk-art tradition; think Grandma Moses meets Frida Kahlo.
The text, taken from interviews with the artist, tells what is going on in each picture: the fair in Reynosa, picking
oranges with grandparents, the birthday party complete with a piñata, a cakewalk (I remember cakewalks! I thought as
I read about this one), making tamales, and more. Lots of details and lots of people populate each piece of art.
Having read both editions of Family Pictures (1990 and 2005), I note that the publisher has made some nice
improvements to an already-interesting book. The well-known author Sandra Cisneros wrote a new introduction, for one
thing. The colors are punched up, the page design is more attractive, and a wonderful painting of a quinciañera
celebration is now included. (Quinciañeras are for girls' 15th birthdays.)
My first-grader liked Family Pictures, although he was content to hear it read aloud only once. I enjoyed leafing
through it over and over. Both of us looked at another book of Garza's, Magic Windows, with interest; in this one
(which won the Belpré award), Garza uses papel picado, a traditional Mexican cut-paper art form, for the illustrations.
(Her subjects here are Mexican traditions and family life; again, Spanish and English text is on each page.) Since we're
big snowflake-cutting aficionados, I may order the companion workbook, Making Magic Windows. Garza's books are
sure to inspire art projects, as well as discussions about one's own family rituals.
Alphabet Explosion!: Search and Count from Alien to Zebra
by John Nickle
Reviewed by Kelly Herold, Big A little a
Alphabet Explosion!: Search and Count from Alien to Zebra is the perfect book for those times when you need
to keep a four-to eleven-year-old occupied for an hour or two. But first you'll need to read the instructions
aloud carefully:
What TO count:
Objects, action, and colors should all be counted. For example, on the R page,
"rain" and "raining" count as two R's. "Red" also counts.
If the number of objects begins with the same letter as the object itself, then
count that number. For example, "four fish" counts as two F's.
An object that is made up of two words beginning with the same letter counts
twice. For example, "bowling ball" counts as two B's. (However, "yo-yo" is
only one word and counts as one Y.)
And, there's a list of what not to count! Fortunately, author and "chief alphabet expert" welcomes additional finds by
e-mail at abc@johnnickle.net.
Each oversized page features one glossy, colorful illustration and a brief note at the bottom (such as: 22 A's). The
illustrations contain enough interesting objects, actions, and colors to keep a child busy without the search. But, add
the search and a notepad and you've got one busy child. Get to work, kids!
A Dragon on the Doorstep
by Stella Blackstone. Illustrations by Debbie Harter
Reviewed by Kelly Herold, Big A little a
A Dragon on the Doorstep is also a hide-and-seek book. This time, though, the protagonists are doing the
hiding and the seeking.
The book begins when a boy and a girl find a dragon on their doorstep: "There's a dragon on the doorstep,/Do you think
he wants to play?/Let's lock him in the closet,/Then let's run away!" The game continues as the children find a
crocodile in the closet, a spider in the attic, a tiger in the toy chest, a bear in the bedroom, a lion in the
laundry, and a gorilla in the garage. Then the animals all escape, leading the children to decide: "What a lot of
animals!/Let's all go outside./Then we can play another game/And everyone can hide!"
A Dragon on the Doorstep is great fun for children ages two to seven on a number of different levels. First, Debbie
Harter's illustrations are bright and colorful, infectious in their enthusiasm for the hunt. When one new animal is found,
traces of the previous (in a tail, an eye, or a horn) remain behind. Blackstone's catchy verse is quick-paced and a joy to
read aloud. And, not only read! A Dragon on the Doorstep comes with a sing-a-long CD with music written by
Fred Penner. He sings Blackstone's lyrics accompanied to guitar and Renaissance-like recorder. It's a nice touch, reminding
the (adult) reader of a time when poetry and lyric were one.
Family Pictures/Cuadros de Familia by Carmen Lomas Garza. Children's Book Press, 1990,2005.
ISBN: 0-8923-9206-1.
Magic Windows/Ventanas mágicas, by Carmen Lomas Garza. Children's Book Press, 1999. ISBN: 0-89239-157-X.
Alphabet Explosion!: Search and Count from Alien to Zebra, by John Nickle. Schwartz & Wade Books, 2006.
ISBN: 0-3758-3598-9.
A Dragon on the Doorstep, by Stella Blackstone. Illustrations by Debbie Harter. Music by Fred Penner.
Barefoot Books, 2006. ISBN: 1-9052-3666-2.
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