A scrappy eleven-year-old orphan works hard at his uncle's tire repair shop and proves himself at work and in a bicycle race.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
An 11-year-old orphan working in his uncle's auto repair shop, Jos? gets into dilemmas that lead to some questionable choices. In the first tale, the uncle scorns Jos?'s offer to help loosen a recalcitrant screw: "YOU? Help ME?? That's a laugh." After Jos? frees the screw, he can't resist tripping his uncle. In another scenario, angry that he has to work in the auto shop while his uncle and his uncle's friends drink until they pass out, Jos? locks them in the shop. The result of a collaboration between German writer Holzwarth (The Story of the Little Mole Who Went in Search of Whodunit) and Yatiyawi, a Bolivian nonprofit organization, the stories are based on the life of a real Bolivian boy. While it may be refreshing that the stories are not preachy, their cursory treatment of the themes repeatedly justify the boy's rash actions rather than open up a discussion of the events. The book's real strength is the gritty, thickly painted artwork. Despite the collaborative effort of three different artists, the style is coherent, the lines and brushstrokes are loose and expressive, and the perspectives suggest how small Jos? feels next to his uncleAor while mounting a too-big bike. In one accomplished sequence, viewers are situated right in the path of a treacherous bike race. But while visually bold and morally provocative, this book will be best viewed with adult guidance, or kids may think that, like Jos?, it is okay to act on one's first impulse. Ages 8-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Grade 3-5-Jos?, an 11-year-old orphan, works in an auto-repair shop with his uncle. The stories center on how he deals with conflict in his everyday world. In the first tale, he trips his uncle because the man disparaged him. In another, he locks his uncle and his uncle's friends in the garage because he is angry that they have been drinking beer all day while he worked. Jos?'s actions eventually lead him to reflect momentarily on what is right and wrong. Paintings in various shades of grays, browns, and greens illustrate the text. Pronounced brush strokes and heavy black outlines lend a stylized quality to the scenes while some lines of dialogue are offset in enlarged gray strips, giving the book the look of a graphic novel. In creating this work, Holzwarth collaborated with a Bolivian organization "whose purpose is to encourage literacy through stories based on actual experiences." Although the intent is admirable, these grim vignettes will leave most readers wondering what they're to make of them.
Carolyn Stacey, Jefferson County Public Library, Golden, CO
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Carolyn Stacey, Jefferson County Public Library, Golden, CO
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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