Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English

author: Alma Flor Ada

author: Rosalma Zubizarreta 

illustrator: Simón Silva

HarperCollins, 1997

preschool-grade 5 

Mexican American


In this beautiful bilingual homage to César Chávez and the agricultural workers he led, Ada and Zubizarreta have matched each letter in the alphabet with a word or concept in Spanish (a is for árboles, g is for grácias) and a poem in both Spanish and English about some facet in the lives of the workers and their families. 


The letter “C” and the sound “ch” are for César Chavez:





César chávez


Ya tus pasos no cruzan los campos polvorientos

ni los alumbras con tu buena voz

pero tu ejemplo 

y tu palabra

retoñan en los surcos

en brotes de callada esperanza.


Your steps no longer cross the dusty fields

where your strong voice once shone

yet your example

and your words

sprout anew in the field rows

as seedlings of quiet hope.


The brilliantly colored, vibrant gouache illustrations by Simón Silva remind me of the murals of Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco. Both hablantes and English speakers will appreciate knowing where our food comes from.


Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English is highly recommended. 


—Beverly Slapin

(published 4/6/2013; revised 7/13/2021)




1 comment:

  1. In the world of so many blogs I still can't believe I had missed this one, with such powerful content. Once I accidentally found it I have been delighted to find some of my books here. Thanks for recommending Gathering the Sun. This book has indeed --thanks to the striking art of Simon Silva and the amazing music Suni Paz created for the poems-- fulfill my desire of making many children proud of their origin and many others participate in the celebration of the valuable contributions of campesinos.

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