Customer Reviews

The Farolitos of Christmas

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The Farolitos of Christmas tells a warm story of a young girl's respect and love for her grandfather, who is too ill to keep his commitment to light fires at Christmas time. The story creates how the young girl thought of "farolitos" or "little lights" to be used to keep the promise in an acceptable way and also light the path for the carolers at Christmas time. A wonderful story that reflects the rich family traditions of the Mexican American culture. This book was one of the winners of the 1995 Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award, given to recognize books that authentically reflect the lives and experiences of Mexican Americans in the United States.

This is a wonderful, warm book, and gives an insight into a culture that is different from what most in other parts of the U.S. have experienced. But the culture is not Mexican American, but the Hispanic culture of Northern New Mexico, which dates back to the late 16th Century. I can't, in a short review, list the distinctions, but they are deep and significant. For more information, see the other works by Rudolfo Anaya, Christmas in Old Santa Fe, by Pedro Ortega, and histories of the area such as Horgan's Great River. In short, New Mexico was at the end of a very long journey from Mexico, and the isolation produced its own rich and unique culture.

This book is an excellent way for children to learn about their own culture or the culture of others with whom they may be attending school. This is a meaningful story of giving the most valuable of all gifts: love and gestures of personal comitment toward those whom we love. There are numerous such stories for children, but this is from the cultural confluence of the Hispanic and Native American cultures and we need many more such stories.

This is one of Anaya's enchanting stories reflecting the Hispanic culture of northern New Mexico, unique in all the US. This old, deep culture is rooted in high desert austerity. It is a rural life of sparseness. Beauty is found in family life and small traditions. All who read this charming story will be enriched. To see the simple "paper bags with candles" lining roads and driveways on Christmas Eve is to be transported. This story is perfect for the holidays.

This book was about a Hispanic family who lived San Juan, northern New Mexico. There was Luz the little girl, grandfather and mama, Luz's father was off to war and was wounded. The family had a tradition that every Christmas eve they would lite luminarias (small bonfires of stacked wood). This was so the pastores (shepherds) would stop on Christmas Eve to sing. The little girl Luz's grandfather was the one who would light them every year, but this year he was just too sick. Luz new they had to be lite because her Abuelo (grandfather) had promised, and also they were to be lit in hopes of her papa's return. So Luz came up with a wonderful idea to help, she made farolito's (small lantern) out of paper bags and sugar. Everyone enjoyed the beautiful luminous lanterns on Christmas Eve in hopes of Luz's papa to make it home. This is where you'll have to read the rest to see if her papa makes it home.... This book was different for me; it was a little hard to read because of not knowing Spanish very well. Although it was different I enjoyed it, it showed a lot of family togetherness and love. I think it would be good to use in the classroom to show how different cultures celebrate. The pictures are great, and very bright, which would keep children's attention. What I also liked about this book, it has an index located in the back to translate the Spanish words to English; that was very helpful.