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Waiting for the Biblioburro
Author: Monica Brown
Illustrator: John Parra
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Language(s): English
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Ana loves stories. She often makes them up to help her little brother
fall asleep. But in her small village there are only a few books and she has
read them all. One morning, Ana wakes up to the clip-clop of hooves, and there
before her, is the most wonderful sight: a traveling library resting on the
backs of two burros-all the books a little girl could dream of, with enough
stories to encourage her to create one of her own.
Inspired by the heroic efforts of real-life librarian Luis Soriano,
award-winning picture book creators Monica Brown and John Parra introduce
readers to the mobile library that journeys over mountains and through valleys
to bring literacy and culture to rural Colombia, and to the children who wait
for the BiblioBurro.
A portion of the proceeds from sales of this book support Luis
Soriano's BiblioBurro program.
La
premiada autora Monica Brown y el aclamado ilustrador Joe Cepeda se unen para
crear éste impresionante tributo a dos de las personas mçs influentes del siglo
veinte.
In Waiting for the Biblioburro (Tricycle Press/Random House Children’s
Books), author Monica Brown and illustrator John Parra craft a tale for
kindergartners inspired by traveling librarian Luis Soriano who carries books
to children in rural Columbia on his two donkeys.
Inspired by Colombian librarian Luis Soriano Bohórquez, Brown’s latest
tells of a little girl whose wish comes true when a librarian and two
book-laden burros visit her remote village.
Ana loves to read and spends all of her free time either reading alone
or to her younger brother. She knows every word of the one book she owns.
Although she uses her imagination to create fantastical bedtime tales for her
brother, she really wants new books to read. Everything changes when a
traveling librarian and his two donkeys, Alfa and Beto, arrive in the village.
Besides loaning books to the children until his next visit, the unnamed man
also reads them stories and teaches the younger children the alphabet. When Ana
suggests that someone write a book about the traveling library, he encourages
her to complete this task herself. After she reads her library books, Ana
writes her own story for the librarian and gives it to him upon his
reappearance—and he makes it part of his biblioburro collection. Parra’s
colorful folk-style illustrations of acrylics on board bring Ana’s real and
imaginary worlds to life. This is a child-centered complement to Jeanette
Winter’s Biblioburro (2010), which focuses on Soriano.
The book is perfect for read-alouds, with occasional, often
onomatopoeic Spanish words such as “quiquiriquí,” “tacatac” and “iii-aah”
adding to the fun. (author’s note, glossary of Spanish terms) (Picture book.
4-8)
Brown (Side by Side/Lado a lado) and Parra (Gracias/Thanks) gently
portray alifestyle 180 degrees from modern, technology-centric schooling. In
rural Colombia, "Ana bathes her little brother and feeds the goats and
collects the eggs to sell at the market," all the time longing to be back
in her house reading her one and only book. The arrival of a librarian riding a
burro brings more books and inspires Ana to write a book of her own. The
traveling librarian and his donkeys, Alfa and Beto, are based on a real
Colombian biblioburro, also the subject of Jeanette Winter's Biblioburro
(2010). Parra's naïve-styled acrylics brim with scenes of country life. A
palette of salmon pinks and turquoise and sky blues, painted on board, give the
book a rough-hewn, handmade quality and an innocent, childlike appeal (with her
wide face, delicate features, and rouged cheeks, Ana even resembles a porcelain
doll). In a metafictional ending, readers will notice that the book Ana hands
the bibliotecario upon his return is this very book--fitting, as this truly is
Ana's story. Ages 4–6. (July)
From The Horn Book
"Ana
has read her book, her only book, so many times she knows it by heart."
The resourceful girl has also been making up cuentos for her little brother
ever since the teacher left her remote village; still, the unexpected arrival
of a librarian riding a burro, bringing stories to tell and books to share, is
a joyful event. Impatiently awaiting the bibliotecario's next visit, Ana reads
avidly, draws, and writes, finally creating her own book. This sample of the
impact of traveling librarians on rural children, inspired by a Colombian
teacher-librarian, not only celebrates their work but eloquently portrays a
matchless way to inspire learning: by feeding the natural hunger for story.
Parra's decoratively stylized acrylic scenes portray a sunny, orderly village
with adults at work while cheerful children take responsibility for tasks, yet
still have time for imaginative play, eager reading, and listening. Small,
brown-faced Ana's enthusiasm is contagious, and the satisfying denouement, in
which she donates her homemade book to the traveling collection, is just right.
Spanish words (defined in context and in a glossary) add a useful dimension, as
does an author's note.
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