TO ARMANDO

by Florence Parry & Roxanne Heide Pierce Heide ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1998

A graceful chronicle of the last year in a beloved great-uncle's life, relayed month by month in the first-person narration of a Mexican-American girl. T'o Armando moves in with Lucitita's family after the death of his wife, Amalia. A connection is drawn between the elderly man and Lucitita and the year is filled with thoughtful exchanges between the two as she puzzles out his serene reaction to losing his wife. Readers begin to sense that T'o Armando is preparing Lucitita for his own passing. ""I will never leave you,"" he promises, and she realizes, after his death, that she understands. The lengthy prose is unusually well-crafted, quiet and subdued yet filled with authentic details of life in this household. T'o Armando is a unique person, visiting strangers in the hospital and spreading kindness wherever he goes. Grifalconi's gentle watercolors group people together in intimate moments and in larger groups that convey familial bonds.

Pub Date: March 1, 1998

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Lothrop

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1998

Categories: CHILDREN'S