Customer Reviews

Yagua Days (Houghton Mifflin Leveled Library: Paperback Plus: Theme: Wea)

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Adan, a Puerto Rican-American boy, lives on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He hates rainy days and, while working in his parents' bodega, he learns from the postman that rainy days are great days - they are yagua days. Before he can ask what a yagua day is he finds out that his family is taking Adan's first trip to Puerto Rico. On his trip Adan meets an extended family members he had never known, learns the farming tradition of people and experiences yagua days for himself.

Jerry Pinkney creates a distant setting of lush vegitation and exotic fruits and vegetables using only pen and ink. The images are light, black and white markings on a simple cream background. While the plot is simple, it is not predictable. Martel's characters are well developed and seeing the mountains of Puerto Rico for the first time with Adan is both informative and exciting. This culturally conscious book tells an authentic story representing the language, values and traditions of this group of Puerto Rican people. I highly recommend Yagua Days for use as part of a school lesson or for a leasurely read.