translator: Jesús Guerrero Rea
illustrators: Robin
Cherin, Roger I. Reyes
Children’s Book Press / Lee & Low, 1986
grades 2-up
Puerto
Rican
My Aunt Otilia’s Spirits reminds me of the stories of spirits and
ghosts told to us as children. These stories are common in Latino cultures; children
have a fascination with ghosts and spirits and because of the oral tradition of
telling ghost stories, some for teaching lessons, some for preventing bad
behavior. As a teacher, I read this story around Halloween and el Día de los
Muertos until the classroom library copy became too worn to use.
Here, Tía Otilia
comes to visit. Our reality is that, when people show up and there’s limited
space, you just have to move over; so Aunt Otilia sleeps in the bed with her
nephew. And every night that she’s there, there’s a shaking and knocking on the
walls. “It’s just my spirits,” she tells him. “Go to sleep, Demonio.” (It’s sometimes
misunderstood by cultural outsiders, but we often use derogatory-sounding
nicknames such as “Demonio,” “Gordo,” “Flaco,” and even “Burro” as endearments
with our children.)
One night,
Demonio puts gum in his ear so he won’t hear Tía Otilia’s voice and he can stay
awake. He hears a rattling noise and here are Aunt Otilla’s bones coming out of
her body and flying out the window—but her body remains in the bed! When he
jumps out of bed, he knocks the pieces of her body to the floor and she flies
out the window.
In Latino
cultures, there are always spirits hanging around; there’s always a family
member who hears voices or talks about spirits or has some kind of otherworldly
gifts. So it’s not unusual for unusual things to happen. As Garcia writes, “[M]y
Aunt Otilia was accompanied by bed shakings and wall knockings wherever she
went. However, this was not regarded as unusual in my family, or a cause for
much concern. The supernatural had a natural place in our life.”
Rea’s idiomatic
Spanish translation reads as well as the English, so the story will resonate
for Spanish-speakers and English-speakers alike. For instance, “I really caught
a spanking for chasing my Aunt Otila away” becomes “me dieron unas buenas
nalgaras por asustar a mi tía Otila,” which is a more visual statement.
Cherin’s and
Reyes’ artwork is executed in acrylics and ink on a bright palette using lots
of primary colors, and the bold handwritten text incorporated into the design
adds to the book’s attractiveness. I especially love the picture of Aunt
Otilia’s skeleton, carrying a handbag, flying out the window, while her
suitcases have a spirit of their own; and I can just imagine Demonio’s anxiety
as he tries to put his aunt back together after knocking her body parts off the
bed. Kids break things, but not usually their relatives.
But all’s well
that ends well: “[A] month later,” Demonio tells us, “we got a postcard from
Puerto Rico. Aunt Otilia said she enjoyed her visit and was fine, although she
felt a little mixed up.”
My Aunt Otilia’s Spirits / Los espíritus
de mi tía Otilia provides
the space to talk about children’s fears and nightmares, as well as ghost
stories that children have heard in their families. For teachers, it’s an
opportunity for class discussions about people’s beliefs about spirits in a
positive way. It’s highly recommended.
—María Cárdenas
(published 3/27/14)
(published 3/27/14)
Ijust read the book and am thinking of using it for a skit for our Latin Fest this year. I can totally relate to this and it reminds me of the supernatural stories my grandparents and and aunts and uncles talked about in front of us as kids on the porch of my grandmother´s house in Puerto Rico. Everytime we drove by the tree in la ceiba I would keep an eye out for the witch in the white dress. :)
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