Module 3 - Latino Picture Book by Pat Mora - TWU - Multicultural Literature

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Mora, Pat. 2008. ABUELOS. Pictures by Amelia Lau Carling. Toronto: Groundwood Books. ISBN 9780888997166.

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This is a very pleasant picture book about a brother and sister discovering a part of their cultural heritage, "An old New Mexican tradition-'los abuelos." As the story goes, "On a cold December evening, old men of the mountains - los abuelos - would come down to make sure that the children had all been good." The little girl, Amelia, is scared and worried about this happening to her family, but her grandpa assures her that this is part of a party that includes food and dancing. Amelia's brother Ray teases her about these los abuelos coming and chases her around trying to scare her. One evening, her uncle comes to the door and tells Amelia's family that the abuelos are coming. The children find a large bonfire outside with many family and friends around it. There is lots of food and fun. The scary abuelos do show up, running and asking whether the children have been good. Amelia is scared, but she soon figures out that one of the abuelos is her uncle wearing a mask. She isn't scared any more, and has a wonderful time playing, eating, and dancing the rest of the evening.

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This story is fun and scary at the same time. Pat Mora states in the author's note that she was interested in the cultural traditions of the Santa Fe, NM, area. She read about the los abuelos tradition and she was very intrigued. She said that the scariness of this tradition reminded her of Halloween, but that this New Mexico tradition had much stronger ties to the family, and a multi-generational closing fiesta.

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I really enjoyed the artwork in this book. Amelia Lau Carling is an award winning author, illustrator, and graphic designer. She grew up in Guatemala, which I believe you can see this cultural insight in her art in this book. The illustrations were done in watercolor with pastels and colored pencils. The pictures are colorful and relate to the story very well. The los abuelos are described as old mountain men, and I think that you can see scary faces of old men in her depictions of the mountains. The colors that she uses in these mountains are soft blues, browns, pinks. Their shapes are pointed, curved, craggy, rounded, etc. They are fanciful and really let your imagination go wild pondering these mountain men hiding in them. I especially enjoyed her family members sketches. They are simple, but well drawn, and allow you to feel the movement of the characters and to see the action of the story.

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There are multiple Latino cultural markers in this book. In the illustrations, the characters are drawn with black hair, dark eyes, brown skin. There is an adobe fireplace in their home. Amelia has a doll sitting in her window dressed in a Hispanic costume. She also has a colorful blanket on her bed that makes you think of Latino styles. There are peppers hanging from the ceiling, and the mother cooked up some empanadas for the fiesta, and they are sitting in the window, cooling.

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In the story, Pat Mora included some Spanish words. They are either defined in the same sentence or are easy to figure out through context clues. "Que frio!" Papa says, coming in after me. Help me build a good fire, Amelia. He rubs his cold hands together and then rubs my hands in hims So, what do you think of your first winter in these New Mexico mountains."

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Also, "They're coming, he says. The abuelos are coming. Vamos, let's go, my parents say, helping us put on our coats." The use of a few Spanish words does not distract from the story, and makes it more interesting for its cultural authenticity.

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This is a very fun book to read aloud to young children. They will be thrilled with the slightly scary side of the story. It would be a fun one to tie in with other Halloween books and to discuss the similarities and differences with Halloween. It may be fun to offer some food treats that are mentioned in the story, such as the empanadas, or bizcochitos, anise cookies, etc. so that the children can sample some.

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I think that this book would be a great addition to a children's library collection. It is a very well-done story of a New Mexico tradition that is not widely known, but very interesting.

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From School Library Journal

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Grade 2–4—Ray and Amelia have a typical sibling relationship—he is a slightly annoying older brother who enjoys scaring his sister. They have moved to New Mexico, where they now live with their extended family. Their father tells them the story of los abuelos—sooty, hairy mountain men who come down each winter to make sure that the children are well behaved. While the story frightens Amelia, her family reminds her that the reenactment of the abuelos' arrival includes a big party. At the end of the book, Amelia ends up rescuing her brother from one particularly scary abuelo who seems very familiar to both of them. Mora, as always, is a master storyteller. In her hands the framing story of Amelia's family and the retelling of the folktale blend seamlessly. This book is not bilingual, but there are many Spanish phrases throughout the family's conversations. Carling's pastel and colored-pencil illustrations are uneven; while the landscapes are beautiful and evoke the crispness of a snowy winter night, the people seem awkwardly posed and slightly unrealistic. However, this story will be welcomed in libraries across the Southwest. Abuelos will be fun to add to traditional winter stories.—Susan E. Murray, Glendale Public Library, AZ