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Alma Flor Ada and Gabriel Zubizarreta discuss their inspiration for writing Dancing Home. Watch video.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

CANCIÓN
Canta el agua en la roca,
el pájaro en la rama
y el poema en la página.

Todo es canción (Everything is Song) gathers some of the most recognized poems by Alma Flor Ada. The 142 pages, in a delightful format, have been illustrated by María Jesús Álvarez. In a 7 pages introduction ¿Qué es poesía? the author explains in clear prose the basic elements of Spanish poetry: Poesía en verso y prosa. El verso libre. La rima. La aliteración. El metro. Imágenes y metáforas. La visión poética are some of the themes explored.

The poems have been grouped by thematic interests: Mi cuerpo y yo [My Body and I], Con los que más quiero [With Those I Love], En la escuela [At School], Para reír y jugar [To Laugh and Play], Aires de la ciudad [City Airs], Somos amigos [We Are Friends], ¡Cuántas delicias! [How Many Delicious Treats], Vuelan y nadan, trepan y saltan [They Fly and Swim, Climb and Jump], Hojas, frutas y corolas [Leaves, Fruits and Petals], Sol y espuma [Sun and Foam], Sueños y fantasías [Dreams and Fanatsy], La fuerza de la palabra [Word Power].

AUTHOR’S NOTE

What a joy to see my poems collected this way! Poetry has been a very important part of my life. My grandmother, Dolores Salvador, instilled in me the love for poetry since I was very small. She would recite poems and invite me to recite with her. Some of her favorite has been written by my own grandfather, Medardo Lafuente Rubio, other’s by José Martí. She created her own music for some of Martí’s poems leaving with me the legacy of the particular enjoyment poetry, whether recited or sung, will always bring me. How I hope the children who have access to this book will enjoy the poems it contains and someday discover that they can also write their own poems.

Book Reviews

Criticas. School Library Journal

Ada has edited a number of lovely books of traditional rhymes, but Todo es canción (Everything Is Song) gives her a chance to showcase her own poetry. The selections are organized by theme. “For Laughing and Playing” includes traditional rhymes, with tales of cats and mice and hens. “In School” includes counting rhymes, and “My Books” is a gift for librarians everywhere to share with children. There are selections that will encourage movement, and those that can be adapted as fingerplays. “Sun and Foam,” “Dreams and Fantasies,” and “The Power of Words” all contain thoughtful and powerful pieces. The whole is summed up in the final poem, in which Ada celebrates the song in everything around us, and ends by saying, essentially, “Because you have been born, life wants to sing.” This book is to Latino children what Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses is to English-speaking youngsters. It is not just a poetry anthology, but truly a lasting contribution to Latino literature that belongs in every library that serves young Spanish-speakers and their parents.
–Tim Wadham, St. Louis County Library, MO

Video

Watch Video: Alma Flor Ada and Gabriel Zubizarreta dis­cuss their inspi­ra­tion for writ­ing Danc­ing Home.

Book Reviews

San José Public Library

In alternating chapters, the authors tell the story of two cousins Margarita, known as Margie to her school friends, and Lupe. The two girls are the same age, Lupe was born and raised in Mexico, until Margie’s parents arranged for her to come to live with them and go to school with Margie. Margie’s grandparents were all from Mexico, but she was very proud to have been born in Texas. She considered herself to be a true American… Read more »

School Library Journal

Gr 3–6–Margie is proud to be an American, born in the United States. Her parents were born in Mexico and so was her cousin, Lupe, who has come to stay with Margie’s family in California. At first Margie is excited, but that enthusiasm dissipates when Lupe is placed in her classroom. She doesn’t speak English, and Margie’s teacher expects her to translate for her. A couple of classroom bullies seem bent on belittling the cousins’ heritage. Margie is relieved when Lupe is transferred to a bilingual class, leaving a desk near her for the newest classmate, Camille. The girls become great friends. When they’re given a journal assignment, Camille models what it’s like to have a passion as she thinks, researches, and writes about dolphins. Lupe stays after school to learn folkloric dances, and the book concludes with a performance that helps Margie understand how American she is and how her Mexican heritage fits into her identity. This story will assist readers in embracing their own heritage and developing an appreciation for their classmates’ backgrounds. It’s an enjoyable offering (and a great read-aloud) that will capture readers’ attention and have them rooting for the cousins and their friendships and family relationships. A Spanish-language edition, Nacer Bailando, is available simultaneously.
–Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego

Booklist

Ten-year-old Margie has spent her entire life trying to fit in—to pass as an American—despite the fact that her parents were born in Mexico. Then, her Mexican cousin Lupe comes to live with them, and her plan goes awry. At first, she resents Lupe for her foreign ways and for monopolizing her parents’ attention; later, she comes to love Lupe as a sister and appreciate the Mexican part of her heritage. Margie begins to master Spanish, enjoys celebrating Navidad, and participates in a Cinco de Mayo folklorico dance at school. Ada, the author of many multicultural titles, including Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection (2006), and Zubizarreta write knowingly of the difficulties of a life lived in two cultures. A subplot involving Lupe’s father (who came to America illegally and later abandoned his family) is also well handled, as is the inclusion of a Ruben Dario poem, “To Margarita.” Give this to fans of Pam Muñoz Ryan’s Esperanza Rising (2000) and Becoming Naomi Leon (2004).

Kirkus Review

Two cousins, one born in Texas and the other in Mexico, learn the importance of family and friendship. As an only child living in California with her Mexican-American parents, Margie Ceballos-González is proud to be American. Everything changes when her cousin Lupe González leaves her mother, stepfather and half-brothers in Mexico to live with Margie and her parents. Years before, Lupe’s father had moved to the United States for work and then disappeared. Margie and Lupe are both in fifth grade at the same school, and Lupe’s presence immediately draws exactly the sort of attention Margie has been trying to avoid. At home, she finds herself competing for attention as her parents welcome Lupe with Mexican foods and Spanish conversation. Sensing her cousin’s dilemma, Lupe finds ways to help Margie appreciate their shared Mexican heritage. Margie thaws, even realizing the beauty of her name, Margarita, which came from one of her mother’s favorite flowers, the daisy. The third-person narration shifts its focus gently from girl to girl, allowing readers access to their thoughts and feelings. The authors also connect Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío’s “A Margarita” to the story, and the full poem follows the novel in both Spanish and English.

Although sometimes wise beyond their years, Margie and Lupe will charm readers as each girl struggles for belonging and acceptance in this realistic novel. (Fiction. 8–12)

Buy it from your favorite bookstore, order it from Amazon, or get personalized service from DelSolBooks by emailing Ray at ray@delsolbooks.com

Library Media Connection

When Margie’s Mexican cousin Lupe comes to live with her family, Margie’s carefully constructed American image is at stake. It’s even worse at home where Margie’s immigrant parents begin speaking more Spanish and forming a special bond with Lupe. But over the school year, Lupe and Margie begin to understand the challenges each cousin endures as well as the beauty of their dual cultures. The book reflects this dichotomy by using both Spanish and English, discussing holidays celebrated in Mexico, and celebrating the arts of Spanish-speaking countries. A poem by Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío holds special meaning for the girls and is included in both languages. While the deliberate moral messages of acceptance and individuality are expressed didactically, Ada and Zubizarreta tackle important topics including immigration, bilingual education, and bullying. This book will speak intimately to readers straddling different cultures and grappling with what it means to be an American. –Kasey Garrison, Library Science Doctoral Student, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia

Few friends could be more valuable for children than books.

Books can be fun and entertaining offering children wonderful moments. But they certainly do much more.

Books can be informative, and allow children to learn about any topic, any time, any place. But they do much more. Read more…

These anthologies contains stories and thoughts written by children, teachers, and parents. Excellent as an inspiration for the writing classroom.

Note from the editor

For many years Isabel Campoy and I have been promoting the idea that we are all authors and that everyone should be invited to put his feelings, dreams, experiences in writing in order to preserve and share them. We have described the process that will achieve these goals in the book Authors in the Classroom.

The idea behind anthologies like the one presented here is to offer models of writings by teachers, children and parents that can be an invitation to facilitate listening to every voice and developing true learning communities supported by a strong

There are six titles in this collection of Teachers’, Children’s and Parents’ writing:

• Así pasaron muchos años
• En un lugar muy lejano
• Érase que se era
• Y colorín colorado
• Y fueron felices