Cousins [Hardcover]

Elisa Amado (Author), Luis Garay (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

In Cousins a little girl lives in two opposite worlds. There’s the house where she lives with her father and grandmother that is full of beautiful and expensive things, but rather quiet. Then there’s her other grandmother’s house where her cousin lives, which is always brimming with people. She loves her cousin’s world. But when she does something she regrets, she must confront her feelings of guilt. Eventually, she realizes she is very lucky to be able to move gracefully between two such wonderful worlds.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4-A little girl is the focus of this exploration of the tensions inherent in belonging to two cultures. The child lives with her Latin American father and North American maternal grandmother. With Mimi, she has everything she could possibly want, except a sense of community. She often visits her Abuela Adela for refaccion (snack) after school. This busy Hispanic household is full of extended family, including her cousin, Mariana, who is about to make her first communion. The narrator, who is not Catholic, is so intensely envious that Mariana will get to carry the moonstone rosary that is kept with a statue of the Ni-o Jesus that she steals it. Although overcome with fear and guilt, she is unable to confess. When Mimi finds the rosary in the child's bathrobe pocket, her granddaughter runs to the church. The priest walks her home and stands by as she confesses, apologizes, and is forgiven. There is no clear resolution-only a delineation of the child's feelings and her sense of being torn between two ways of living. Although this story is slightly disquieting, it is an excellent discussion starter and segue into longer books on acculturation, such as Gary Soto's The Skirt (Dell, 1995) or Alma Flor Ada's My Name Is Maria Isabel (Atheneum, 1993). Garay's acrylic paintings in a primitive style with crisp black outlines and a warm yet muted palette are arresting and distinctly reminiscent of Diego Rivera's or Jos‚ Clemente Orozco's work. An intriguing read.
Ann Welton, Grant Elementary School, Tacoma, WA
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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Groundwood Books (March 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0888994591
• ISBN-13: 978-0888994592
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,020,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)