Copyright Date:
2022
Edition Date:
2022
Release Date:
08/16/22
Illustrator:
Uribe, Luisa,
Pages:
1 volume (unpaged)
ISBN:
0-593-10991-0
ISBN 13:
978-0-593-10991-5
Dewey:
E
LCCN:
2022000717
Dimensions:
22 x 26 cm.
Language:
Spanish
Bilingual:
Yes
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews
Two cousins live in a pair of towns divided by the U.S.âMexico border in this bilingual ode to cross-border kinship.A light-skinned, redheaded girl and a brown-skinned, black-haired boy start the day in their respective homes. "This is my house," she says in a front yard full of green plants and trees and a white house with orange trim. "Esta es mi casa," he says on a sidewalk in front of colorful houses. Both kids prepare for a trek across a bridge over a river into the other's town. On each double-page spread, her adventures happen on the verso, while his unfold on the recto, cleverly echoing the same border that separates their towns. Similarly, the girl narrates her visit to her cousin's Mexican hometown in English, and the boy shares his escapades with his prima on the U.S. side in Spanish. Solis' amiable English and Spanish texts serve as one-to-one translations of each other (the sole difference being the use of the pronoun ella for the girl and he for the boy), featuring similar content in differing contexts. In both towns, each cousin shows the other a colorful market with "comida deliciosa" and people speaking "idiomas diferentes," festive holiday celebrations, and family dinners where "food and stories and laughs" flow. Each hometown's idiosyncrasies mainly arise through the vibrant, cozy artwork, where each pueblo features bustling, distinct neighborhoods. Heading back home at the end of the day, each cousin crosses back through the guarded border walls, wishing for simpler crossings. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Sweet, good-natured musings on border life. (Picture book. 4-8)
In this bilingual picture book, cousins from opposite sides of the border visit each other’s towns and delight in their similarities and differences.
Two cousins live in two towns, separated by a river. But there is also a bigger divide—the US-Mexico border—which means they live in different countries. On the girl’s side, English is the main language, and on the boy’s it’s Spanish. The cousins love their towns, and they love visiting each other’s, where they notice some things are the same and some are wonderfully different, adding up to a vibrant world full of even more possibilities.
Author Nicholas Solis shows how border towns are special places, beautiful and dynamic, because two cultures can be better than one—and both cultures should be equally treasured and respected.