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ALMA AND HOW SHE GOT HER NAME

Name: ALMA AND HOW SHE GOT HER NAME
Author: Juana Martinez-Neal
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9355-8

by Juana Martinez-Neal ; illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 10, 2018

A celebration of identity, family and belonging.

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Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has a very long name, and she’s about to find out how she came to have it.

Alma is a cute little girl with the sweetest pair of striped red-and-white pants ever. She also happens to have a very long name—so long, in fact, that it never fits. Her father sits her down to tell her the story of her name, “Then you decide if it fits.” And so Alma learns about her grandmother Sofia; her great-grandmother Esperanza; her grandfather José; her great-aunt Pura; and her other grandmother Candela. And Alma? She learns Alma was picked just for her. “You will make your own story.” Peruvian-born Martinez-Neal never expresses it in the text, but the illustrations are filled with references to Peru, the country where Alma’s family comes from. Mostly monochromatic against a cream background, the illustrations—print transfers with graphite and colored pencils—are delightful, capturing the distinctive essences of Alma’s many namesakes. Alma is depicted as the color of the paper background, with pink cheeks and a black bob haircut. Whereas the story starts with Alma’s name written in a childish print on a piece of paper that needs an extra piece of paper taped to it, the story ends with Alma’s name in grand and elegant display types. That’s her name, and it fits her just right! A Spanish edition, Alma y cómo obtuvo su nombre, publishes simultaneously.

A celebration of identity, family and belonging. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 10, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-7636-9355-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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A GIFT OF DUST
by Martha Brockenbrough ; illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

- BOOK REVIEW
ALBERTO SALAS PLAYS PAKA PAKA CON LA PAPA
by Sara Andrea Fajardo ; illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

- BOOK REVIEW
I DON'T CARE
by Julie Fogliano ; illustrated by Molly Idle & Juana Martinez-Neal

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IMANI'S MOON

by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Hazel Mitchell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 14, 2014

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...

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Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.

The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-934133-57-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Mackinac Island Press

Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THIS HAIR BELONGS
by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Erin K. Robinson

- BOOK REVIEW
SCIENTISTS LIKE ME
by Kamin Science Center & JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Kristen Uroda

- BOOK REVIEW
ON OUR WAY! WHAT A DAY!
by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Tamisha Anthony

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PERLA THE MIGHTY DOG

by Isabel Allende ; illustrated by Sandy Rodríguez ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 4, 2024

Paws up for this personable pooch.

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In renowned Chilean American author Allende’s picture-book debut, a benevolent dog teaches a young boy a new trick.

Perla, a small, scraggly shelter dog wearing a pearl necklace, possesses two so-called superpowers: the ability to “make anybody love me” and, even more impressive, given the dog’s tiny stature, an enormous roar. The Rico family arrives at the animal shelter intending to adopt a formidable guard dog, but Perla manages to impress them with that immense roar and an assist from bespectacled young Nico Rico, whose insistence seals the deal. Perla proves vital to the Rico family—the canine even helps the family’s lazy house cat, Lucy, banish mice. If only Perla could help Nico with his bullying woes at school! After Perla confronts a ferocious, dragonlike dog at the park one day, Nico asks the mighty mutt to “teach him the lion roar.” Perla obliges—with hilarious results. Allende has crafted a winsome portrait of a miniature, magical dog whose droll commentary makes for a fab read-aloud, often elevating the central theme—finding the courage to stand up to one’s bullies—above tepid familiarity. Rodríguez’s vivid watercolor-and-ink artwork focuses on dynamic body movements and close-ups amid lush backdrops, pulling readers along in the fun from page to page. Nico and his dad have light tan skin, and his mom and teen sister read white.

Paws up for this personable pooch. (Picture book. 4-8)