Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A boy with a skilled tailor for an uncle narrates this elegant and poignant story of the way industrialization reshapes a fictitious Brazilian town, the English-language debut for author-artist Toledo, herself born in Brazil. With his parents busy working, Edinho spends his days with Uncle Flores, who once sewed colorful clothing but now mainly creates gray overalls for the factory that transformed the village into a larger town, turned its river murky, and has left Pinbauê coated with dust most days. When the factory starts importing cheap uniforms from overseas, Uncle Flores is out of work, but with his nephew-s help he begins sewing vivid curtains that lead to bigger transformations and a renewed sense of community in Pinbauê. The interactions between Edinho and his uncle unfold with tenderness, but it-s Toledo-s arresting collages, created with exacting precision and striking attention to detail, that will captivate readers. Carefully constructed from cut, folded, and torn paper, as well as photographic elements, her subtly textured scenes bring readers intimately close to a changing way of life. An afterword thoughtfully discusses the story-s real-life influences. Ages 5-8. (Sept.)

Starred Review ALA Booklist (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Starred Review The story of this fictional town in Brazil could be the story of any town or village in the world that has felt the economic and environmental devastation of industrialization. Pinbauê was once a fishing village where the river sustained life and a man could earn a decent living as a tailor. The narrator, Edinho, reminisces about his childhood with his uncle, the best tailor in Pinbauê. Uncle Flores is a kindly man who takes pleasure in teaching his nephew his skills and passing on stories of Pinbauê. Toledo skillfully balances the inevitable melancholy of this tale with a cheerful and surprising twist in which the boy and his uncle push away the cloud of gray cast by the polluting factory and remind the townspeople of the color and vibrancy of their former lives. An elegant narrative is complemented by meticulously detailed collage illustrations that use handmade papers and photographs arranged to capture the craft of sewing, the setting, and the camaraderie of a boy, his uncle, and a shared legacy of conversation. This can be thematically and aesthetically paired with Joanne Schwartz's Town Is by the Sea (2017).

Kirkus Reviews

A young boy helps revive his uncle's failing tailoring business.Uncle Flores is the best tailor in the fictional Brazilian town of Pinbauê. Young dark-skinned Edinho enjoys helping, but what he loves most is the sound of his uncle's sewing machine going cloc cloc cloc cloc cloc. Business was good for Uncle Flores until the factory came to town. The story takes on depth and addresses both social and environmental injustice as the other problems that came with the factory come to light: mainly a polluted river, the Velho Chico. Instead of the colorful clothes Uncle Flores used to sew, now his only work is creating gray overalls for the factory workers. When the factory begins importing overalls, narrator Edinho suggests his uncle use scraps of old fancy colorful clothes and make curtains out of them. A sole customer leads to a resurgence of Uncle Flores' business and sparks joy for the entire town. Mixed-media collage is a fitting choice for this story of cutting and piecing things together, though the bright colors at the end don't significantly stand out. Refreshingly, Portuguese words sprinkled throughout the fairly lengthy text aren't italicized. Though the solution reached doesn't solve all the problems facing the people of Pinabauê, as the afterword says, "it gives the people hope and happiness. And that's quite a beginning, isn't it?" Yes, it is. Loving and hopeful. (Picture book. 5-9)

Horn Book (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Tailor Uncle Flores used to love bright colors but now makes only gray overalls for the local environment-ruining factory. When they cut his job, Flores's nephew, Edinho, encourages him to make colorful curtains; soon, the townspeople also paint their houses and start desiring brighter clothes again. Intricate collages hint at the town's transformation. An afterword illuminates conditions in contemporary Brazil and the universality of the issues.

School Library Journal (Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

Gr 2-5 While his mother works at a factory, young narrator Edinho spends afternoons with his Uncle Flores, a tailor in the fictitious Brazilian river town of Pinbauê. Edinho loves to help his uncle cut, iron, and sew while listening to stories of how Pinbauê has changed over time. That story-within-a-story posits readers right when the town loses its traditional economy with the arrival of the factory: men in "dark suits" come and build it, and the pollution leaves people without clean water and fishermen without fish. His uncle only sews gray factory uniforms. When the factory gets cheaper uniforms flown in, Uncle Flores loses his contract. One day, Edinho finds a surprise in his uncle's shop and the key to what the townspeople really need, bringing his uncle's business back to life. The Portuguese words in the story are translated just below the text, eliminating the need to flip to a glossary. The collage illustrations, rich with patterns and textures, echo the work of Ezra Jack Keats and employ dark skin tones, portraying Brazilians of African descent. This import imagines the first step toward a more ecologically sound future. It's an ode to joy, community, and local craftsmanship to offset the loss of contact with nature. An afterword by the author-illustrator details the plight of Brazil's Sao Francisco River, feared by many to be on the brink of disaster if it is rerouted. VERDICT Pair this engaging read-aloud with Virginia Lee Burton's The Little House and Jane Yolen's Letting Swift River Go to spark needed discussions on ecojustice. Sara Lissa Paulson, City-As-School High School, New York City