A Movie in My Pillow/Una pelicula en mi almohada: Poems/Poemas [Hardcover]

Jorge Argueta (Author), Elizabeth Gomez (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

A young boy with two homelands and a delightful sense of wonder comes to life in Jorge Argueta’s first collection of poems for children. Young Jorgito lives in San Francisco’s Mission District, but he hasn’t forgotten his native El Salvador. He recalls the volcanoes, the tasty cornmeal pupusas, and his grandmother’s stories. As he changes from timid newcomer to seasoned city dweller, Jorgito’s memories and new adventures form a patchwork of dreams — the movie in his pillow — that is perfectly suited to his new bicultural identity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Grade 3-6-Poems in Spanish and in English communicate the poet's memories of being a boy in El Salvador and in San Francisco. "Here chickens come/ in plastic bags/ Over there/ they slept beside me." The lines capture the pleasures and difficulties of living in each country, but mostly, they capture the sense of being a child in the city. "My bicycle/ is a dragon/ dancing/ cumbias/ all the way/ to El Salvador." Small notes next to the poems explain potentially unfamiliar terms (the cumbia is a Latin dance). Argueta has published several books of poetry, but this is his first for children. G omez's rich, bright paintings fill every spread with the same joy and literal humor that she used in Juan Felipe Herrera's The Upside Down Boy/El nino de cabeza (Children's Book, 2000). The style is almost primitive, and combines with the "handwritten" typeface to make the book feel immediate and comfortable. The author's introduction and the artist's title-page map of North America give context to the poet's experiences, making this an appealing choice to fill the need for books about Salvadorenos, as well as an excellent addition to any poetry collection. Appropriate for all collections and bookstores. Nina Lindsay, Oakland P.L., CA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-Poems in Spanish and in English communicate the poet's memories of being a boy in El Salvador and in San Francisco. "Here chickens come/in plastic bags/Over there/they slept beside me." The lines capture the pleasures and difficulties of living in each country, but mostly, they capture the sense of being a child in the city. "My bicycle/is a dragon/dancing/cumbias/all the way/to El Salvador." Small notes next to the poems explain potentially unfamiliar terms (the cumbia is a Latin dance). Argueta has published several books of poetry, but this is his first for children. G-mez's rich and bright paintings fill every spread with the same joy and literal humor that she used in Juan Felipe Herrera's The Upside Down Boy/El ni-o de cabeza (Children's Book, 2000). The style is almost primitive, and combines with the "handwritten" typeface to make the book feel immediate and comfortable. The author's introduction and the artist's title-page map of North America give context to the poet's experiences, making this an appealing choice to fill the need for books about Salvadore-os, as well as an excellent addition to any poetry collection.-Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Children's Book Press; Bilingual edition (April 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892391650
• ISBN-13: 978-0892391653
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #730,342 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reminds Me of El Salvador, March 6, 2004

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A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Movie in My Pillow/Una pelicula en mi almohada: Poems/Poemas (Hardcover)

Argueta's poems deal with his life in El Salvador and after immigrating to the US, his life in San Francisco. The poems are very simple. Personally, I think some could be better. I did like some like the one about playing "yoyo" which has a nice play of words in Spanish. Another one that I connected to is "leaving El Salvador" I found myself in very similar circunstances when I came here too. The best part of the book are the illustrations by Elizabeth Gomez. I love her art! It is very colorful and realistic. It's a good book to get to know the culture of "los salvadoreños." We need more books on our country.