Customer Reviews

Hairs Pelitos

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hairs Pelitos by Sandra Cisernos is an excellent resource for early childhood educators and parents. It is a bilingual story that describes the differences between family members' hair. It offers children the experience of diversity within one's own family and how we can accept the differences within our own family. As a teacher, the concept of diversity can be extended from family to community and beyond. The language is beautiful and can be used to demonstrate to children how a writer uses descriptive language. The story captures an up-close look at one example of wonder..how simple things mean a lot. Children can pull from their own family rituals, similarities and differences to write their own story.

Hairs- Pelitos, is a poetic short story about the various heads of hair in a family. Mama's is the most wonderful as it carries with it the odor of fresh baked bread, a smell the narrator associates with being close to mama. Difficult to capture in a short review, I recommend this book to those who appreciate poetry and lyricism within a short story for children. It is especially wonderful how appreciated the mother is in the story, and how cherished. My three year old finds it touching.

This is a little picture book that accomplishes many things and it has captured the attention of my preschoolers. It attempts to describe things that are different and things that are the same. The story describes each member of a Hispanic family by varied hair types, a phenomenon not uncommon in Hispanic families. The colorful illustrations play on this theme and depict different interests for each person of the family. What I sense is the same is that all these varied individuals belong to the same family and are subject to the mother's love. The words, both in Spanish and English, are lyrical and enchanting. The narrator is a young girl whose "hair does not obey barrettes or bands" yet still enjoys sleeping next to her mother. This story may help young children celebrate the differences within a close family. The illustrations are fun and vibrant (at least in my hardcover edition). It may also be an excellent tool if you want them to know a story in two languages. This is an enjoyable, creative story that takes no more than ten minutes to share with your children.

I went to Barnes & Nobles and to my surprise, the children's section had a few Spanish/English books. I took home TOO MANY TAMALES, CHATO'S KITCHEN, TOCA, CHAVI, TOCA!, CARAMELO, and all of Sandra Cisnero's books. Finally, there are books that represent the diversity of Latino's in the United States... PELITOS and TOCA, CHAVI, TOCA! were my daughter's favorites. In both books you can hear, see, touch and smell the settings. One author is Cuban, the other Mexican and they both bring us into their culture in a beautiful way. Pelitos is lyrical beyond words. Sandra Cisneros is a poet. This treasure is a must!

I love this book! It is written with the words both in English and Spanish. It is short, sweet and so comfortiing. It's also great for discussing diversity, even in one's own family. My daughter and I love to read this at bedtime.

This is a picturesque and fun to read picture book. It depicts the hair diversity between each family member. I loved reading this dual language book in a very simple and enjoyable text.

I also enjoyed reading the sweet words and the very close relationship this girl has with her mother: "Mama's hair is the warm smell of bread before you bake,, it is the smell when she makes room for you on her side of the bed still warm with her skin". These beautiful and charming words create in the reader (at least on me) a very cozy, warm and delicious environment I can only enjoy when I am surrounded by my family and the people I love. Sandra Cisneros writes real works of art. She is an artist!

Without any doubt, this book is worth five stars. Even though this is a short book, I found myself very surprised when reading this creative picture book.

Hairs=Pelitos is just one of Sandra Cisneros' many stories from her novel, A House on Mango Street. This book arrived in beautiful condition. I needed it for a graduate class I was taking in children's literature. My group used the vibrant illustrations to create a very interactive ESOL lesson plan that can used with any of Cisneros' writing. I can't wait for her next children's book, Bravo, Bruno!!!

I found this book on several book lists and heard great things about Cisnernos of course. I purchased this book for a 4.5 year old boy partly because of the poetry and partly because I love books with spanish on one page and english on the other. But this book was just too simple for this child, that was my first impression when I finally read it in the book store and I should have gone with that. It is probably good for a two or three year old but there are so few, (though poetic, poignant, pretty as they may be) words. If I had it to do over, I would not have purchased it.

I have always loved Cisneros's book, The House on Mango Street. So, when I saw this illustrated children's book of one of the vignettes from that collection, I was very excited. This book is great for young children. (I read it with my 1st grade students.) It helps to illustrated how everyone in the family may look different, but they are all part of the same caring family, they all belong together, and they all love each other. This book would be especially valuable for children who come from multiracial families, or who might have a different mother/father than some of their siblings, or children who are adopted.

The illustrations are intriguing, and the story is as well. This text is a good starting point to discuss families and family members' similarities and differences with young children.

Originally written as a vignette in her best-selling book, "The House on Mango Street," Cisneros has crafted a beautiful children's book entitled "Pelitos." This is a sweet picture book about not only the different hair textures of her family members, but of the sweet connections between family members. It illustrates the diversity of a family, yet also the comfort that family ties bring. It shows the differences within a family, but how those differences can be sweet and treasured! The story is bilingual, and there is beautiful alliteration in several spots in the Spanish. There is imagery throughout: hair like a broom; hair like fur; hair like candy circles; hair like the smell of warm bread. Perhaps my favorite part is the association of her mama's hair with comfort, protection, warmth and security. This is a sweet story that teaches appreciation for differences and the simple blessings of life.