Abuela, Arthur Dorros and Elisa Kleven (Compare/Contrast lesson on flight)

There's a great deal to love about Abuela, an imaginative book about the adventures of a young girl and her grandmother as they explore New York. During a daily expedition to the park, Rosalba begins to imagine what would happen if she and Abuela were able to fly. In addition to flights over whimsical cityscapes, the pair visit the Statue of Liberty, the docks where a cousin works, her aunt's small store, her father's office, and the clouds themselves. The text is engaging, and seamlessly integrates Spanish phrases and culture into a narrative that any child will be able to understand and enjoy (there is a glossary in the back to explain the few terms that are unclear in the text). Elisa Kleven's mixed-media illustrations are colorful and whimsical, bringing New York to vibrant life. This celebration of city life and Latino culture will appeal to children from urban backgrounds as well as those who enjoy imaginative journeys and family narratives.

Arthur Dorros does a wonderful job portraying Latino culture in the city while evading typical stereotypes. Rosalba and Abuela clearly embrace their heritage, speak Spanish to each other, and remember and honor their origins; in the sequel, Isla, they fly back to Puerto Rico to visit Abuela's childhood home. While one cousin works at the docks, a fairly typical and menial job for an immigrant or Latino youth, Rosalba's father works in an office, wearing a suit. The rest of the city is diverse as well, with background characters of many different races, socio-economic classes, and religions (as seems to be typical, differences in body type and ability are ignored). Not only is this book oriented towards urban children, but I think it will be useful in showing children ways to value the immigrant experience and affirm Spanish as a literary language.

I am planning to use this book in conjunction with Tar Beach as part of a literacy unit on comparing/contrasting stories, since both books share similar plots with some significant differences in setting and illustration. Since the protagonist of Tar Beach is black, race may enter the classroom discussion, but I'm not planning to make it a focus. It is important to have explicit conversations about race in the classroom, but it's also important to integrate multicultural materials into content-focused activities, to enliven the curriculum and prevent antiracism from becoming an "add-on" activity. In addition to class conversation and a writing project comparing the stories, I may use Abuela to look at some book-handling skills--the glossary in the back is a nice addition--and to explore a little Spanish vocabulary with students. Above all, though, I just really love this book. The story is fun, the illustrations are beautiful, the ideology is positive, and I can't wait to share Abuela with my students.