A gorgeous tribute to family history and cultural heritage that could benefit from a clearer chronology.
A heartwarming multigenerational family story for middle-grade readers.
Muñoz, a ninth generation “Bordercanx,” here explores the history of her mestizo family living along the border of the United States and Mexico. The story centers around her grandparents, Maria (Cuca) and Alfonso (Poncho). Maria was a factory worker and devout Catholic with a rich spiritual life. People often asked her to pray for their loved ones, so Maria would write down their names on slips of paper and tuck them in her Bible. One day, a coworker gave her the names of soldiers from the border to pray for; among them was Alfonso, a military sniper from El Paso. After the war, Maria and Alfonso met while working at the same factory—it was “love at first sight.” They married a year later, and the birth of a son (Muñoz’s father) soon followed. Around this time, a paper fell out of Maria’s Bible; on it was written Alfonso’s full name, suggesting that their marriage was divinely orchestrated. For their granddaughter Muñoz, Sundays were filled with family traditions, including Mass and homemade tortillas. Alfonso took the young author to his hometown’s El Bowie Bakery, introducing her to the employees with pride. This family origin story is intertwined with a broader history of the Latine community in La Union, New Mexico, where American, Indigenous, and Mexican heritages combine to create a unique culture and identity. The author’s descriptions, like how Maria’s skin was “as smooth as desert dunes” and Alfonso’s lanky frame was “like a long twig in a windstorm,” paint a vivid picture of her family. Muñoz infuses the narrative with Spanish, styled in a large, blue font to differentiate it from the English text. The book’s breathtaking collage artwork, a combination of painting and illustrations by Cortez and photography by Lopez, captures the beauty of border communities and the tenderness of loved ones’ faces. However, non–Spanish speakers may find the bilingual text challenging to interpret, and some readers may struggle with the story’s nonlinear timeline.
A gorgeous tribute to family history and cultural heritage that could benefit from a clearer chronology.Pub Date: Feb. 22, 2025
ISBN: 9780875659114
Page Count: -
Publisher: TCU Press
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Readers will agree that “Melba Doretta Liston was something special.”
Bewitched by the rhythms of jazz all around her in Depression-era Kansas City, little Melba Doretta Liston longs to make music in this fictional account of a little-known jazz great.
Picking up the trombone at 7, the little girl teaches herself to play with the support of her Grandpa John and Momma Lucille, performing on the radio at 8 and touring as a pro at just 17. Both text and illustrations make it clear that it’s not all easy for Melba; “The Best Service for WHITES ONLY” reads a sign in a hotel window as the narrative describes a bigotry-plagued tour in the South with Billie Holiday. But joy carries the day, and the story ends on a high note, with Melba “dazzling audiences and making headlines” around the world. Russell-Brown’s debut text has an innate musicality, mixing judicious use of onomatopoeia with often sonorous prose. Morrison’s sinuous, exaggerated lines are the perfect match for Melba’s story; she puts her entire body into her playing, the exaggerated arch of her back and thrust of her shoulders mirroring the curves of her instrument. In one thrilling spread, the evening gown–clad instrumentalist stands over the male musicians, her slide crossing the gutter while the back bow disappears off the page to the left. An impressive discography complements a two-page afterword and a thorough bibliography.
Readers will agree that “Melba Doretta Liston was something special.” (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-60060-898-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
A beautiful, powerful reflection on a tragic history.
In spare verse, Lowry reflects on moments in her childhood, including the bombings of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima.
When she was a child, Lowry played at Waikiki Beach with her grandmother while her father filmed. In the old home movie, the USS Arizona appears through the mist on the horizon. Looking back at her childhood in Hawaii and then Japan, Lowry reflects on the bombings that began and ended a war and how they affected and connected everyone involved. In Part 1, she shares the lives and actions of sailors at Pearl Harbor. Part 2 is stories of civilians in Hiroshima affected by the bombing. Part 3 presents her own experience as an American in Japan shortly after the war ended. The poems bring the haunting human scale of war to the forefront, like the Christmas cards a sailor sent days before he died or the 4-year-old who was buried with his red tricycle after Hiroshima. All the personal stories—of sailors, civilians, and Lowry herself—are grounding. There is heartbreak and hope, reminding readers to reflect on the past to create a more peaceful future. Lowry uses a variety of poetry styles, identifying some, such as triolet and haiku. Pak’s graphite illustrations are like still shots of history, adding to the emotion and somber feeling. He includes some sailors of color among the mostly white U.S. forces; Lowry is white.
A beautiful, powerful reflection on a tragic history. (author’s note, bibliography) (Memoir/poetry. 10-14)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-358-12940-0
Page Count: 80
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
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