PICTURE BOOK - I Pledge Allegiance by Pat Mora & Libby Martinez

Illustrated by Patrice Barton

2014, Alfred A. Knopf

available in paper ($7.99) and HC ($16.99)

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  3.97 - 234 ratings

My rating: 4

Endpapers: A large, faint American flage with the words of the pledge in bold font

1^st line/s:  'On Monday when I get to school, my teacher, Mrs. Adams, asks, "Did your great-aunt pass her test?"'

My comments: A good story and I very much enjoyed the illustrations.  Ms. Mora and Ms. Martinez collaborate on this story based on their great-aunt, who they called Lobo,  who became an American citizen in her late 70s.  It's also a story about memorizing The Pledge of Allegiance - both remembering the words and thinking about what they mean.  Very much recommended.

Goodreads:  Patriotism across the generations as a little girl and her great aunt learn the Pledge of Allegiance together.
     Libby's great aunt, Lobo, is from Mexico, but the United States has been her home for many years, and she wants to become a U.S. citizen. At the end of the week, Lobo will say the Pledge of Allegiance at a special ceremony. Libby is also learning the Pledge this week, at school-at the end of the week, she will stand up in front of everyone and lead the class in the Pledge. Libby and Lobo practice together-asking questions and sharing stories and memories-until they both stand tall and proud, with their hands over their hearts.

Yum! MmMm! Que Rico! - Pat Mora

Poetry
America's Sproutings
Illustrated by Rafael Lopez
Lee & Low Books, 2007
$16.95
32 pages
Love the Illustrations.
Love the Interesting paragraph for each haiku.
Not crazy about some of the haiku.
Endpapers: Pumpkin orange

Discover the foods NATIVE to North and South America. There might even be a few surprises! A really informative, interesting, well-researched paragraph about each individual food sits in the left edge of the left page (black font on a rich orange...yellow....green....), a haiku about the same food sits on the right page. Illustrations are gorgeous - bold, bright, no white (the originals are acrylic on wood). Love 'em.

Blueberry --- Chili --- Chocolate --- Corn --- Cranberry --- Papaya --- Peanut --- Pecan --- Pineapple --- Potato --- Prickly Pear --- Pumpkin (look at all the P's!) --- Tomato --- Vanilla

CHOCOLATE

Fudge, cake, pie, cookies.
Brown magic melts on your tongue.
Happy, your eyes dance.

I teach haiku each year. It's great for figuring out syllables, stresses, rhythm. I always encourage the kids to get rid of any non-essential words by putting in a snazzier one. Also encouraged is adding a word to make sure that it paints the picture it needs to paint. We really work on having them make total sense. Some of the haikus in this book leave out words to the point that they don't really paint the picture they need to paint. Others will disagree, I'm sure.
Don't get me wrong - it's a great book. I'm just not crazy about some of the haikus.

Book Fiesta - Pat Mora

Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day
Celebremos El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros
Illustrated by Rafael Lopez
2009
Rating: 5 for the Illustrations alone!
$17.99
Endpapers: Wow. Front: Sleeping on a Cloud, Waking on a moon, sun is rising....COLOR!
Back: Closer-up, moon smiling down at boy reading on cloud, nighttime's coming....

This book celebrates reading. It celebrates books. It celebrates story. And it celebrates family. It covers the world. It shows the southwest strongly (love it!). It rhymes. It's written in English and in Spanish. It's colorful.

"We read libros together in cars/ and planes/ and trains. We read to our puppies and kittens, and to lizards in our yard./We read riding an elephant/or sailing with a whale./ We read in a long submarine/ or floating in a hot-air balloon./ Then, snug in our beds, we read to the moon/ and fly away in our books. Toon! Toon!"

I want to have a Book Fiesta in my classroom....in my school.....NEXT YEAR! At the back of the book Pat Mora give information and many suggestions to celebrate and annual "Dia" Children & Books Day. Take her up on it!