Children's Author & Educator
ZukaBaby Meet the Author & Illustrator Events at 2122 Magazine, Uptown and 3248 Severn Ave in Metairie.
Thanks for having us, and allowing me to read my debut book The King Cake Baby during story time!
Our baby! Carla, a friend from high school came!
Sub It Club featured the query letter that lead to the acquisition of my manuscript for The King Cake Baby. To see that post at the SubitClub blog, click here.
Every writer knows the importance of a query letter. A what? That’s what I asked after writing an early draft of my story. Upon learning the purpose of a query and what it entailed, I then set out to learn how to write one. Essentially, it’s a letter that accompanies your manuscript when sending it to an agent or editor and includes the following components: the hook, the book, the cook. Huh?
No worries, at Sub It Club you can learn a lot about how to write a query and more. Writers work hard on perfecting the manuscript they hope to sell. But first you must sell your story idea to an agent or editor through your query. The intent is for the person reading it to want to read your picture book manuscript or pages to your novel that’s attached.
Almost done. There’s more? Yep. To complete the submission process, you must know what agents and or publishing houses are a good fit for your manuscript. Huh?
No worries, hang around the Sub It Club to learn all about it!
Woodland West Elementary, Harvey, Louisiana, Friday, Februray 6, 2015
Thanks to the teachers, staff, and students at Woodland West Elementary, I had a wonderful visit!
International School of Louisiana , Friday, February 6, 2015
Such a wonderful visit with ISL! Thanks to Laurence Copel, the resource librarian at ISL, I had a wonderful visit!
January 27, 2015 is Multicultural Children’s Book Day (MCCBD). The co-creators of this unique event are Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom and Valarie Budayr from Jump Into a Book/Audrey Press.
MCCBD raises awareness about children’s books that embrace diversity. Mia and Valarie share such titles with others. Even though census data show 37% of the US population identify as a persons of color, only 10% of children’s books traditionally published are representative of people in those groups. MCCBD’s mission is to provide information about diverse books and share with parents, caregivers, teachers, and librarians. And help get them into homes, schools and libraries. To keep current, follow them on social media. Links are provided at the end of this post. The MCCBD team, sponsors, and supporters understand that it’s important for all children to see their families, cultures, customs, traditions, languages, histories, and religions in books. And it’s equally important that others see them and stories about them in books too.
To support the mission of MCCBD, I reviewed the middle grade novel, Sugar, written by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Little, Brown, 2013).
“Everyone likes sugar. But I hate it.” Says the ten-year-old girl, also named Sugar, an emancipated slave living on a sugar plantation and working as a sharecropper in post-Civil War Louisiana. Sugar knows first-hand that working with sugar cane is hard work and it kills. She also knows what her mother told her on her deathbed, “Do. See. Feel.” Despite the hard work, and poor living conditions Sugar finds ways, often frowned upon by the elders in her community and her ex-master, to follow her mother’s advice. She gets into trouble often. And she must navigate her world in order to honor her mother’s final word, “Survive.” The plantation owner’s son and Sugar become friends and that brings trouble. Chinese workers come to work on the plantation. Sugar wants to befriend the new workers against the wishes of her community. More trouble. But for every trouble, there is also change.
Rhodes writes a story about a very difficult period in Louisiana history. It is an American story. Mostly it is a story about a girl, once physically enslaved, then bound to a life of hard labor after emancipation. But the reader soon realizes Sugar’s mind is not enslaved or held in bondage. She just has to find a way to freedom.
THE GIRL AND THE BICYCLE by Mark Pett is my pick for today’s Perfect Picture Book Friday.
Written and Illustrated by: Mark Pett 
Publisher: Simon & Schuster April 2014
Suitable for ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: Determination, kindness, generosity, selflessness
Synopsis: A wordless picture book about a girl who wants to buy a bicycle, and the neighbor who she works for to earn money toward her goal. She works and saves as the seasons pass, however, when she finally has enough to buy it, the bicycle is no longer available. In the end the girl is rewarded for her acts of kindness and her willingness to work.
Opening pages: The book begins with a double-page spread of a little girl holding the hands of a little boy walking toward a storefront display window. The only color on the second page is part of the green frame on a bicycle in the window. On the next page, the girl stops suddenly when she sees the bike.
Why I like this book: The themes are why I love this book! They are universal and timeless. And the story flows so easily, all through the illustrations. Very impressive. This book is sure to be around for generations. See if you can catch a clever hint on the first spread that shows why the neighbor hired the little girl to work when others did not!
For more book reviews, go to author Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book page to see other January 16, 2015 reviews.
The King Cake Baby picture book is filled with local lingo, which includes French vocabulary. Here’s a handy guide if you want to learn more about the language and sound like a local too. Enjoy!
New Orleans: (noo OR-lunz, noo OR-lee-unz, noo AW-linz) a city in the state of Louisiana, former French and Spanish colony.
king cake baby: a small plastic replica of a baby hidden inside a king cake. People want to “get” the baby or find it in their piece of king cake.
king cake: an oval cake decorated in Mardi Gras colors of purple (justice), green (faith), and gold (power).
Kings’ Day: celebrated every January 6th, the first day of the carnival season in Louisiana.
Creole (KREE-ohl) spelled Créole in French. Louisiana Creole is a culture, and a language created by people in the colony when multiple old world cultures lived together in the new Louisiana territory during the French, then Spanish colonial periods and continued after the American purchase. Today, people throughout south Louisiana practice and visibly show their culture through statewide celebrations, the use of Louisiana French, Louisiana Creole, and Louisiana Spanish languages, architecture, food, music, religion, traditions, customs, festivals, and general joie de vivre.
ma chérie- (mah- SHAY-ree) French word, feminine, used in the English root for the word “cherish”. Means my dear or my darling.
French Quarter: the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans since the founding of the city in 1718. Locals refer to the area as the “Quarter”. The original name is Vieux Carré (VOO cuh-RAY or Vyoo cuh-RAY ) which is French for “old square”.
Mardi Gras: (MAH-dee-graw or MAW-dee-graw) French for Fat Tuesday, the last day of the Carnival season. The length of the Carnival season varies, but always ends the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent on the Liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church.
French Quarter cottage: a small, single story creole style home.
mon ami: (mohn a-MEE) French, masculine, means “my friend’’ in English.
praline: (PRAH-leen), a creole candy made with sugar, butter, cream and pecans. A pralinière (prah-leen-YAIR) in French is a woman who sells pralines on the street. Not pronounced “pray-LEEN” in Louisiana.
How you doing dawlin’: (DAW-lyn) a local greeting; example of ”southern drawl” where vowels sounds are prolonged. Omission of the ”r” and final ”g” sounds is also common.
Jackson Square: originally named Place d’ Armes (plahs-DARM) during the French colonial period. The area, renamed Jackson Square after the Battle of New Orleans, showcases an equestrian statue of US President Andrew Jackson.
Come with me by my house: New Orleans local lingo. Means to stop in, not to literally pass by.
Café du Monde: (kah-FAY DOO-mawnd) famous café located in the French Quarter neighborhood known for making the beignet (BEN-yay), a deep-fried French doughnut or fritter.
Where y’at: (yuh-AT) New Orleans local lingo, a traditional greeting and contraction for “you at’’. Y’at is pronounced with 2 syllables.
C’est la vie: (SAY- la-vee) French expression often used in New Orleans, means “such is life” in English.
Creole Queen Riverboat: an authentic paddlewheel riverboat in New Orleans known for Mississippi River cruises, built to mimic the days of Mark Twain.
Yeah, you right: a statement of agreement. Sometimes spoken as one word – YEAH-you-right.
Bon appétit: (BAW na-PAY-tee) French saying, “good appetite’’, means enjoy your meal in English.
King cake, Mardi Gras, parades, krewes – all traditions unique to New Orleans and Louisiana culture here in the US.
Everyone in Louisiana knows what day it is! It’s Kings’ Day, January 6th, the first day of the Carnival Season!
When people learn I am from New Orleans, they often ask about our Carnival or Mardi Gras traditions. I always include a bit of history about king cake and the tiny plastic baby that is hidden inside. The idea for my upcoming debut picture book, The King Cake Baby, came to me while making a king cake. I couldn’t find a baby and panic ensued. If you don’t have a king cake baby to hide inside, the pastry is just a cinnamon roll!
And I was listening to New Orleans music. So first, here’s a song. Sing along!
Eh là bas! Eh là bas! [Hey over there! Hey over there!]
Eh là bas chérie! [Hey over there, dear.]
Komen ça va? [How’s it going?]
(New Orleans musician Don Vappie on banjo and vocal)
Read on if you’d like to learn more about our traditions. The history of our Carnival and Louisiana king cake practices stem from the periods of colonization as well as English tradition. Combining cake customs from the French and Spanish rulers created the foundation for this Louisiana Creole tradition celebrated on the last day of Christmas also known as Little Christmas, Feast of the Epiphany or Twelfth Night. The beginning of Carnival is always on January 6th and is also known as Kings’ Day. King cakes are baked and eaten throughout this time, known as the pre-Lenten season. Carnival or “carne vale,” means “farewell to the flesh”. Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent, is the last day of Carnival. In 2015, Mardi Gras Day is February 17th. Although always a Tuesday, the date varies, therefore the length of the season does too. The number of days during Carnival depends on the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church. It’s the time between Twelfth Night (in New Orleans, that’s between January 6th and the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday.) Actually, the date for Easter Sunday sets the length of the Mardi Gras season.
Carnival is celebrated all over the world. And cakes are made too. In France & Québec the cake is called La galette de rois, in Spain and places they colonized like Mexico, South America, Florida, and California the cake is called Rosca de Reyes or ring of kings, in Germany its Dreikonigskuchen, in Scotland, the Black Bun, in Portugal, Bola-Rei. And many more I did not mention. In Louisiana, king cake is a symbol associated with the spirit of Carnival.
Many are surprised to hear that Carnival was not always a mass public daytime celebration in New Orleans. The first Mardi Gras parades were organized in Mobile, Alabama! In 1837, when the people of New Orleans started publicly celebrating in the streets, they were so wild that the government almost banned these celebrations. Yikes! By 1856, the private club or ”krewe” named the Mistick Krewe of Comus from Mobile came to New Orleans to save Mardi Gras. They organized a festive and safe event with floats, masked members who paraded in the street wearing costumes, and hosted masquerade balls .
Credit for the merriment of Mardi Gras seen today in New Orleans goes to the Krewe of Rex dating back to 1872. When Russia’s Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff visited New Orleans, the Krewe of Rex arranged a daytime parade. In 1875 Mardi Gras became a legal state holiday. Decade after decade the celebration grew. More krewes started, bands and throws like beads and doubloons were added to the parades. With the addition of larger krewes and celebrity participation Mardi Gras in New Orleans became an international event.
Louisiana “king cake”, known as kings’ cake or three kings cake in Europe and Latin America, takes its name from Catholic liturgical tradition commemorated on January 6th that celebrates the visit of the Wise Men or three kings to visit the Baby Jesus. The Twelfth Night Revelers, a Carnival society from 1870 chose the “Lord of Misrule” as their king at their ball, following old English tradition. The following year they started the tradition of choosing a queen for his majesty on January 6th. Today that tradition continues, using a “mock” king cake, and the event is considered a kick-off to the Carnival season. King cake eventually became a symbol for the start of the Mardi Gras among locals who were not members of these grand societies. The Krewe of Rex chose the colors associated with Mardi Gras today; purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power also used to decorate king cakes. In the French tradition, originally a bean or la fève, was hidden inside a king cake. Early on Spain used figurines to represent the Baby Jesus. In Louisiana, pecans and even jewelry were used. However it wasn’t until the 1940’s, that a beloved New Orleans bakery, McKenzie’s, started using the plastic baby we see hidden in king cakes today. In Catholic tradition, the baby represents the Baby Jesus. Whoever gets the baby or whatever is hidden inside is supposed to bring the next king cake or host the next king cake party or could be “crowned” king or queen.
Retail stores love Christmas, florists love Valentine’s Day, chocolatiers love Easter, and Louisiana bakeries love the king cake season! By 1950, the public began buying lots of king cakes. Today, thousands of cakes are eaten and shipped around the world during the Louisiana Mardi Gras season.
And now New Orleans hosts its very own King Cake Festival! The second annual King Cake Festival scheduled for January 25, 2015 is sure to be fun!
Starting today, EAT. KING. CAKE. if you are in New Orleans, join the festival. Plan a trip to see a Mardi Gras parade. Just don’t forget the baby mon ami!
It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday! My pick for today is The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie by Chris Van Allsburg.
This book has garnered reviews that swing like a pendulum! Some hate it while others love it. There’s only one way to find out how it makes you feel, read it.
Title: The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie 
Written & Illustrated by: Chris Van Allsburg
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2014)
Suitable for ages: 5-8 (according the publisher)
Themes/Topics: pet responsibility & ownership, animal adoption & care, abandonment, longing, courage
Brief Synopsis: Sweetie Pie is a hamster adopted from a pet store who ends up in the care of multiple children who are either not ready for pet ownership or who are just neglectful. Sweetie Pie goes through a few owners, one who leaves him outside stuck in a plastic hamster ball, another who leaves him out in the snow. In the end Sweetie Pie escapes and joins a family of squirrels, finding solitude in the outdoors.
Opening pages: “He’s sooo cute!” squealed the pigtailed girl. The hamster had heard these words before. He’d once shared his home with a dozen friends. One by one, they’d all been taken away.
He’d been left behind because whenever a child had picked him up, he’s squirmed and scratched.”
Why I like this book: Sweetie pie is not the best pet. Why? Is his behavior innate? Is it possible his environments affected him? Readers have some pretty strong opinions about this book! I see it as an example of a picture book appropriate for older audiences. Firstly, the text is far lengthier than many of the newer 500-700 word picture books; secondly there are many social factors that can be discussed using Sweetie’s Pie’s situation, his desires, and the behavior of the children and adults that are supposed to care for him. It’s not a funny story, but rather poignant. A good read for anyone studying animal care or for parents or teachers who are considering getting a pet for the home or classroom. I would recommend parents and or teachers read it first because it does stir many different emotions, some which are just not pleasant but totally authentic. So where some see it as not a great book coming from what they expect from the well-known author, I feel it’s that this book isn’t funny or witty or clever. Some books are good because they stir up strong emotions and opinions.
For more book reviews, go to author Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book page.
It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday! Come on now, raise your hand if you had an imaginary friend! I did. And we did everything together. And for that reason this book resonates. I actually remember the exact day my parents and siblings watched us while in full play mode. YIKES! And so my pick for today is “Nobody”.
For more book reviews, go to author Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book page. Happy Friday!
Written by: Liz Rosenberg
Illustrated by: Illustrated by Julie Downing
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press; (May 2010)
Suitable for ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: imaginary friend, about being an only child, independence
Brief Synopsis: George is a little boy who wakes before his parents and he and his imaginary friend, whips up “breakfast” together. He and Nobody are quite a team but thankfully George remembers he’s not supposed to turn on the stove with “Nobody around”. His parents wake to see the mess George made decide to make pancakes together.
Opening pages: “Nobody makes pancakes like I do.”
Why I like this book: Aside from my own personal connection, the wordplay is fantastic. A funny and endearing book that shines a light on common childhood behaviors of seeking companionship and independence.
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Today, November 2, is All Souls Day. It is a day of prayer for the dead, particularly but not exclusively, our relatives. Whereas, yesterday, All Saints’ Day, the Catholic church asks followers to live as saints did, on All Souls’ Day we honor and ask for mercy for our ancestors and the souls departed from this world as we know it.
Yesterday, on All Saint’s Day, the family back home cleaned our family tombs in cemeteries around the city, some so old they were built when la Louisiane was still a colony. Today, on All Souls’ Day we honor our dead because we believe their souls and spirits live on even when the body dies. To us death is not creepy or scary, it’s a part of life. In a way, we keep our dead alive, the lines a little blurry. Our ancestors live on in those left behind in their families and communities. Those are our customs and traditions and in our culture, that’s the way we roll.
I lost two elders recently, a 5th cousin and my mother. Today they are in my thoughts and heart as are all the family departed I was fortunate to know in their lifetimes. As our family historian, I also honor our ancestors whose stories I have uncovered, buried in documents and dusty archives. Prayers up mama, love and miss you dearly. Tell everyone I said hello.
ECCLESIASTICUS 44TH CHAPTER, VERSES 1-10 AND VERSES 13-14.
Let us now sing the praises of famous men, our ancestors in their generations. The Lord apportioned to them great glory, his majesty from the beginning. There were those who ruled in their kingdoms, and made a name for themselves by their valor; those who gave counsel because they were intelligent; those who spoke in prophetic oracles; those who led the people by their counsels and by their knowledge of the people’s lore; they were wise in their words of instruction; those who composed musical tunes, or put verses in writing; rich men endowed with resources, living peacefully in their homes-all these were honored in their generations, and were the pride of their times. Some of them have left behind a name, so that others declare their praise. But of others there is no memory; they have perished as though they had never existed; they have become as though they had never been born, they and their children after them. But these also were godly men, whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten. Their offspring will continue forever, and their glory will never be blotted out. Their bodies are buried in peace, but their name lives on generation after generation.
It’s National Gumbo Day!
And all Louisianans know nothing stirs the emotions like a discussion about food. But we all know the answers to the questions often asked by visitors to New Orleans, “Who makes the best gumbo in the city?” The typical reply is, “My mama.” Or “Where do I go to eat the best gumbo in the city?” That answer is, “My kitchen.” Because our mamas taught us to make our gumbos.
So what’s all the fuss about? Firstly, Gumbo is the official cuisine of Louisiana. Easy to understand why any origins to the dish would then elevate a group to a special status. However the name of the dish itself is a perfect analogy to the culture of Louisiana, it’s a mixed pot.
The first reference to ”gombeau” in New Orleans was in 1764 discovered by Louisiana colonial historian Gwendolyn Midlo Hall. It’s a record of testimony written in French and archived in the records of the French Superior Council. Of course this does not mean others who lived in the territory before 1764 were not making the dish, but often the reference to 1802 as the first record of gumbo is incorrect. In 1764 we know where in the world people came from who lived in the colony and who they found living there upon arrival. We know the Choctaw, an indigenous Louisiana people thickened soups using filé, still used today to thicken many gumbos and some believe used the term ‘kombo-lichi’ to refer to such dishes. We know ki ngombo is the Bantu word for okra, another staple used in some gumbos. And today, we know a good gumbo requires a roux, a mixture of flour and a fat like butter, used in classical French cooking as a thickening agent. But these facts still don’t answer the question about the origin of the dish. Maybe that’s a good thing because like all those ingredients put in a gumbo pot, what comes out is something special and unique. Just like me and everyone out there with Louisiana roots.
Happy Sunday Gumbo Day!
Title: Ghosts for Breakfast
Written by: Stanley Todd Teraski
Illustrated by: Shelly Shinjo
Publisher: Lee & Low Books, Inc. 2002
Suitable for ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: Japanese culture, immigration, ghosts, community, cultural awareness
Brief Synopsis: Neighbors fear there are ghosts in the fields where they farm. A man and his young son go out to prove otherwise.
Opening pages: “PON! PON! PON!
The pounding at the door shattered my family’s peaceful evening
PON! PON! PON!
Who could it be at this time of night? I saw Mama’s puzzled look as Papa opened the door a crack and peered out.
“Ah, Papa delighted, “”The Troubelsome Triplets.”
Why I like this book: Set in a farming town during the 19th century when Japanese families immigrated to the west coast, this story is about how a father and son tackle fear of ghosts that their neighbors are convinced are real..
Resources: http://www.leeandlow.com/images/pdfs/activities/wordscramble-ghosts_for_breakfast.pdf
For more book reviews see author Susanna Hill’s page, Perfect Picture Book page.
Title: Shy Mama’s Halloween
Written by: Anne Broyles
Illustrated by: Leane Morin
Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers; (August 1, 2000)
Age Range:4 and up
Themes/Topics: holiday, courage, shyness, immigration, cultural awareness
Brief Synopsis: Anya and her sisters want to go trick or treating in their new neighborhood. Their papa agreed to take them but now he’s sick. Their shy mother overcomes her fear of all things new and experiences her first Halloween.
Why I like this book: A nice story about the holiday seen through the eyes of immigrants new to the United States.
Resources: See the author’s site for a teacher’s guide.
Lionel Ferbos, a kind and gentle soul who loved his family, his jazz and his hometown has died. Lionel lived for 103 years. He played his trumpet until the age of 102. And although his loss will be felt far and wide.
Lionel believed everyone should ”keep on smiling”. It’s easy to smile thinking of him. It’s hard not seeing him smile back.
He’s now an ancestor, joining all the others who moved on before him. It’s a gig that will last forever. And looking back at his life, so will his memory and his music.
Keep on Smiling by Lionel Ferbos
This is an awesome book, about books! It’s a Book! by Lane Smith is a story about a donkey, er, jackass who discovers the concept of a book.
“Do you blog with it?” the donkey asks.
“No, it’s a book,” the monkey explains.
“Where’s the mouse? Does it need a password? Can you make the characters fight? Can it text, tweet, toot?”
No, none of that, the monkey explains.
There are so many children out there like that donkey! Hopefully this summer, a monkey will help them discover a book!
It’s a Book: Lane Smith: 9781596436060: Amazon.com: Books
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Just in time to find and read for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.
Title: Apple Pie 4th of July
Written by: Janet S. Wong
Illustrated by: Margaret Chodos-Irvine
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers; May 1, 2006
Suitable for ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: celebrating holidays, community, immigration, cultural awareness, third culture adults and kids
Brief Synopsis: A little girl questions her parents’ understanding of the Fourth of July holiday when they open their store to sell Chinese food.
Opening pages: “Seven days a week, fifty-two weeks, three-hundred-sixty-four days a year (and three-hundred-sixty-five in a leap-year) our store is open.
Christmas is the only day we close.
Even on Thanksgiving we open the store.
Even today, New Year’s Day.
Even today, the Fourth of July.”
Why I like this book: Firstly, the main character is a feisty female! The book is based on a true life conversation with the author and her father on the Fourth of July. The book is based on a true life conversation with the author and her father on the Fourth of July. But the conversation was brief because her parents were busy selling food from their family mini mart. When asked why the store opened on the holiday, “And why not, “Fireworks are Chinese, father says.”
Wong is able to show the complexity of cultural adaptation. A perfect book for third culture kids and adults.
How do you celebrate the Fourth of July?
Resources:
http://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=5144&a=1 (author interview)
http://www.osvcurriculum.com/ctf/nsmedia/pdfs/disc_guides/GrK_2/Apple_Pie_4th_of_July.pdf
http://www.breitlinks.com/PDFsLibMedia/ImmigrationHistory2ndGrade.pdf (page 9)
Title: Arturo and the Navidad Birds
Written by: Anne Broyles
Illustrated by: KE Lewis
Pelican Publishing Company, Inc. 2013, Fiction
Suitable for ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: honesty, accepting responsibility, courage, compassion, forgiveness, cultural awareness
Brief Synopsis: Arturo helps his grandmother Abue Rosa decorate her Navidad tree. She explains the origin of each ornament from her childhood, and those she received as gifts from friends. Arturo breaks one of her treasured ornaments when Abue Rosa is not in the room. And after she returns and asks if he’s seen the ornament, he hides it from her. Arturo then tries but fails to repair the ornament. But then he is remorseful and tells his grandmother what happened. Abue Rosa is forgiving and takes what Arturo made from the broken ornament and adds it to her Navidad tree and comforts him by saying to Arturo, “People are more important than things. mi’jo.”
Opening pages: “Arturo bounced up and down in front of the pine tree. “Hurry, Abue!”
His grandmother called from the kitchen, “Momentito, mi’jo.”
Arturo saltaba una y otra ves frente al árbol de pino. “Date prisa, Abue!”
Su abuela lo llamaba desde la cocina, “Momentito, mi’jo.”
Arturo frowned at the sting of unlit lights. “Our Navidad tree looks empty.”
Abue Rosa wiped her hands on her apron as she bustled into the living room. “It will soon be full.”
Arturo fruncíó el ceño al mirar las luces de Navidad sin encender. “Nuestro árbol de Navidad se ve vacío.”
Abue Rosa secó sus manos en el delantal mientras caminaba dentro de la sala. “Pronto estará lleno.”
Why I like this book: This is a heartwarming story of the relationship between a boy and his grandmother. The themes are universal. The boy, Arturo makes a mistake, is not honest in the beginning, and tries a resolution that fails. His grandmother is forgiving and shows Arturo her love by explaining that people are more important than things.
This book is an example of what the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign running this May 1-3, 2014 is all about. The front cover and title tell us the book is representative of one of the underrepresented groups in the world of children’s literature because the illustrations include a child and adult who have toffee colored skin. All people can be described by color; but this book is written about people with skin of a particular color who are part of a particular culture. In addition, Arturo and the Navidad Birds is a story any child or adult, regardless of the color of their skin, will enjoy. And for an extra bonus, the reader may learn some Spanish words since the book is published in both English and Spanish. Kudos to the author and illustrator. Well done, Pelican Publishing.
Resources: Free teacher study guide on the author’s site.
My article, The Unexpected Expected: The Transition of My Third Culture Kids, is featured in the March 2014 edition of the Among Worlds Magazine. The magazine targets issues faced by Third Culture Adults & Kids (TCAs and TCKs). This March edition is dedicated to Reentry and Repatriation.
As an adult I have reentered and repatriated more than once. And although there are some similarities shared through reentry to one’s passport country the transition of a child has different challenges.
“Of course we expected the kids to be asked, “Where are you from?’’ A question often asked over and over while living abroad, but their answer usually sufficed and immediately identified them as ex-pat kids. Upon re-entry, one answer did not project that identity. One answer was incomplete. Stating where they grew up or where they lived or where they were born were only parts of their stories. Our struggle as parents is to help them feel whole.”
I told some of their stories about their adjustment and shed light on what I observed during their transition.
I am happy to report my teen and young adult child are indeed well-adjusted in their passport country. And they are still and will always remain third culture kids with third culture adult parents.
