Platero y yo / Platero and I (Spanish-English Bilingual Edition) [Hardcover]

Juan Ramón Jiménez (Author), Antonio Frasconi (Illustrator), Myra Cohn Livingston (Translator), Joseph F. Dominguez (Translator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Selections from a classic of world literature present a picture of life in the town of Moguer, in Andalusia, Spain.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 5-7. In the original Spanish and in a lyrical translation, these autobiographical vignettes are selections from a classic prose poem about the poet and his donkey and their remote mountain village. The design is handsome, and Frasconi's full-page, colored woodcuts are bold and beautiful, expressing the energy and gentleness of the writing. There's not much story, and few kids will pick up this book on their own, but teachers will find rich material here for creative writing projects in both Spanish and English. The short pieces are deceptively simple, but they have a lot to say about affection and friendship ("We understand each other. I let him go wherever he wishes and always he takes me where it is I wish to go"). With vital imagery and a wry, casual voice, Jim{‚}enez celebrates community and carnival as well as solitude. He's candid about hardship and hunger and longing. Hazel Rochman

From Kirkus Reviews

Selected from the 138 chapters of Platero y yo (by the winner of the 1956 Nobel Prize for Literature), 19 vignettes in the original Spanish plus Livingston's English, based on Dominguez's literal translation. These prose poems concerning Jim‚nez's Andalusian village and its inhabitants are linked by the poet's affection for the little donkey Platero, sometimes an actor here and sometimes a confidant, and by the orderly passage of time--life, death, and the seasons. The book ends with a series of episodes from Christmas to Carnival. The poet scarcely reveals himself except as an observer. Of his friendship with the donkey, he remarks that ``We understand each other. I let him go wherever he wishes and always he takes me where it is I wish to go''; his lyrical descriptions of the village sights and sounds and such simple happenings as fireworks or calling to Platero in an echoing valley are vividly evocative. Even the inherently dramatic (e.g., a mother dog rescuing her pups) is so understated that it's not the event but the mood that lingers in the memory. Frasconi's handsome full-bleed woodcuts, too, center on mood and setting, their rich colors subtly muted, their expressive images like ``emotion recollected in tranquillity.'' A lovely book, for a discerning audience. (Fiction. 10+) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books; First Edition edition (April 18, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395623650
• ISBN-13: 978-0395623657
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,098,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic for any age!!!!!, February 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Platero y yo / Platero and I (Spanish-English Bilingual Edition) (Hardcover)

Having first read this book while I was in elementary school, it has been the book that I have rated as one of my favorites all my life (in my 40's). Simple words convey volumes of meaning - very little is written to say so much about peace, love and death. Focus is on what is meaningful in life. Whenever I pick up my volume and read a couple of passages, I realize where my priorities are. Would love to find the complete volume with all the passages. The age limit should be removed - it may keep older readers from experiencing life with Platero.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every Spanish teacher needs this book!, April 10, 2008

By 

Mickey Mikeworth (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Platero y Yo/Platero and I paperback Bilingual Spanish/English (Paperback)

1956 Nobel prize winner! A classic that all should know. The poet and the donkey travel to remote villages and they talk about the simple drama of small village life. This is a shorter version- the full version is 138 chapters and this book has nineteen of the most famous works. Get the hardcover of this book because you will need it! They made a later version of this in softcover- you will rue the day of not ordering the hardcover it is a great translation tool. Our reviews are for people like you to make great investments in literature.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Platero y yo, April 5, 2008

By 

Maria T. Fernandez (Oceanside, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Platero y yo / Platero and I (Spanish-English Bilingual Edition) (Hardcover)

I read this book for the first time when I was in elementary school in Buenos Aires, Argentine. I am reading it again at 71 years old, and it is a wonderful story as it was then The book is written in Spanish with an English translation side by side. The translation is fine, but it misses the beauty and romanticism of the Spanish language. Juan Ramon Jimenez is an outstanding author and the use of the Spanish language is incredible. I am glad I decided to read it one more time. It is a classical of the Spanish literature!