From Publishers Weekly
"Everybody in our family has different hair"/ "Todos en nuestra familia tenemos pelo diferente," begins this rhythmic, bilingual picture book taken from acclaimed novelist/short-story writer Cisneros's The House on Mango Street. Yba?ez expands upon the diversity theme by rendering the family members in a variety of unusual skin tones as well as with distinctive hairstyles. Purple-faced Papa has hair "like a broom,/ all up in the air," while Nettie's "slippery" orange hair contrasts vividly with her blue skin. The narrator waxes lyrical on the subject of Mama's hair: "sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you, holding you and you feel safe, [it] is the warm smell of bread before you bake it." Each spread is framed by bright borders ornamented with everyday objects-shoes and bikes; steaming cups of coffee; dice, jacks and jumpropes. Inside, the characters seem to float across swirling blocks of color. A spirited and buoyant celebration of individuality and of the bonds within families. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Ages 2-6. Great for reading aloud, this vignette from Cisneros'
House on Mango Street (1984) is told in the voice of a young Latina. The words are simple, intimate, and poetic and appear in English at the top of each page, in Spanish at the bottom. (Unfortunately the Spanish translation is occasionally poor, although for the most part, it maintains the lyrical childlike quality of the English text.) The brilliantly colored art perfectly expresses the child's world, both domestic and magical, with a realism rooted in the feelings and physical particulars of family life. The child talks about the hair--and personality--of each person in her home. Papa's hair is like a stiff broom "all up in the air." Her own hair is "lazy. It never obeys barrettes or braids." But best of all is Mama's hair "that smells like bread" when she's holding you and you feel safe. The bold, energetic paintings and their contrasting borders mix objects from home and neighborhood that reflect the diversity within the family and within each personality. Children will recognize the physicalness of the images, especially the cozy sense of home when there's a storm outside.
Hazel Rochman
