author: Francisco X. Alarcón
illustrator: Paula
Barragán
Lee & Low, 2005
grades 2-5
Mexican American
cierra los ojos
close your eyes
close your eyes
y ahora prepárate
and now get ready
and now get ready
para saltar a un sueño
to hop on a dream
to hop on a dream
In this collection of 17 short, gentle bilingual
poems, Alarcón celebrates hard-working parents, the blessed hands of
farm workers, daydreaming children, taking care of the home and the family
garden, the great dream of César Chávez, the ultimate relationship of all
things, and dreaming together of a better world.
Barragán’s flat, brightly colored, mixed media
artwork resembles paper cutouts or silkscreens, but if one looks closer, the
intricacies of each design become apparent. The poems and art together are
totally engaging and varied in placement: sometimes the Spanish version is
above the English, sometimes the English is above the Spanish, sometimes the
two are side by side, sometimes they’re on facing pages. Highly recommended.
—Beverly Slapin
(published 4/7/13)
(published 4/7/13)
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