I Speak English for My Mom [Hardcover]

Muriel Stanek (Author), Kathleen Tucker (Editor), Judith Friedman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

Lupe, a young Mexican American, must translate for her mother who speaks only Spanish until Mrs. Gomez decides to learn English in order to get a better job.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With tact and poignance, this book confronts the problems of a non-English-speaker who needs her daughter's help in almost every aspect of daily life. Lupe's widowed mother, Rosa, came to the U. S. from Mexico to fulfill a promise to her husband that their daughter would be educated here. Lupe quickly learns English, and so acts as interpreter for her mother, whether they are shopping in stores where Spanish isn't spoken, or going to the doctor for check-ups. Lupe usually doesn't mind, but there are times when she gets tired of being called on for help. Rosa hopes to get a job that pays better, but knows that she will need to speak English for almost any new endeavor. When she enrolls in night school to learn English, she worries about filling out forms, and keeping up with her studies. But Lupe encourages her mother, and when they begin to hold rudimentary conversations in English, Lupe admits she'll miss helping Rosa. Black-and-white illustrations, bordered in brown, depict the loving relationship between these two protagonists, and show a classroom scene of people of many cultures trying to learn a new language. The book displays an emotional honesty, from which it gains its strength. Ages 7-10.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-5-- Lupe, a young girl, tells of the key role that she plays as translator for her mother. Her mother, a widow, is confident that she can get a better paying job if she can learn to speak English, so she enrolls in a class. Lupe is a well-developed character with a lively, robust personality. She is proud, straightforward, humorous, and poignantly honest when she admits that she is sometimes resentful that her obligation to her mother interferes with her desire to play. Friedman's pencil drawings guide children through Lupe's world. Readers will be impressed with Lupe's abilities to communicate for her mother in so many small, yet important ways. The book will be a refreshing addition to a growing body of literature about Hispanic children that is both realistic and modern. It should also help to provide positive reinforcement to the increasingly important role in which many children, particularly recent immigrants, find themselves. --Oralia Garza de Cortes, Houston Public Library
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company; 1 edition (January 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807536598
• ISBN-13: 978-0807536599
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,510,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the book for anyone who teaches immigrant children!, April 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: I Speak English for My Mom (Hardcover)

This is so real life. As someone who has taught immigrant and refugee adults as well as their children, I can attest that I have seen time and again where the children are the translators for the family. The nice thing about the book, too, is that the ending is very proactive. The mother ends up going to an adult school and learning English. Anyone who teaches second language speakers will certainly have kids who can really relate to this book.