I. BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
Mora, Pat. 1997. TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY. Ill. by Raul Colon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0679904018
II. SUMMARY
Tomas lives with his migrant family who move during the year to follow the crops. They spend the winter in Texas and the summers in Iowa. While in Iowa, Tomas discovers the library and he begins to explore new stories in the books. He brings the stories home to share with his family.
III. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Based on a true story, Mora’s sweet story of TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY could seem too sweet, if it were not true. Mora describes the life of migrant workers and their uprooted lives. Tomas’s family must move to follow the seasonal crops. Mora’s storytelling is a narrative of the events Tomas experiences during one summer in Iowa. Tomas enjoys the stories his grandfather, Papa Grande tells in Spanish. It is Papa Grande who suggests to Tomas that he go to the library by himself and learns new stories to share with the family. Nervous at first, Tomas comes upon an imposing library, but he is brought in and encouraged by a librarian.
Tomas reads many books and learns many new stories to share. He befriends the librarian and begins to teach her Spanish words. Finally, it is time for the family to migrate back to Texas, and he teaches the librarian a new word…”adios.” Mora’s story includes Spanish phrases throughout the text, and she provides translations within the story. For example, while telling a story to his family Tomas says “Que tigre tan grande!” and then he says in English, “What a big tiger!” Other familiar Spanish words are not translated, though. This interlingual technique is common in Hispanic literature.
Within the text, there are other indications of the cultural authenticity of Mora’s work. The first example that stands out is the names of the characters. Some of the names are Tomas and Enrique. In addition, Tomas calls his parents Mama and Papa, and his grandfather is called Papa Grande. These are each common in Hispanic culture. Another example within the text is the food described. Tomas’s mother makes the librarian “pan dulce” or sweet bread to thank her. This is another example of a cultural marker within the story.
The illustrations throughout the story are soft muted tones created with a scratchboard technique. The pictures are curved depictions of the descriptions in the text. The characters are portrayed with brown skin-tones, except for the Caucasian librarian Tomas befriends, which adds to the cultural authenticity of the story. Colon has captured the imagination of Tomas as he discovers new stories in the library in dynamic illustrations of dinosaurs and horses. The books seem to come alive through Tomas’s imagination. Details such as the car the family drives in give the story a sense of time, and clearly this story takes place in the 1940s or 50s.
Overall, Mora’s story is somewhat saccharine in nature, but the overall cultural authenticity and authority of the narrative make it a moving tale of a boy discovering the library’s riches. At the conclusion, Mora provides a brief biography of the real “Tomas,” making readers appreciate even more the experiences of the boy in this story.
IV. REVIEW EXCERPTS
“From the immigrant slums of New York City to the fields of California, it's an elemental American experience: the uprooted child who finds a home in the library. Mora's story is based on a true incident in the life of the famous writer Tomas Rivera, the son of migrant workers who became an education leader and university president… Colon's beautiful scratchboard illustrations, in his textured, glowingly colored, rhythmic style, capture the warmth and the dreams that the boy finds in the world of books.” –Booklist
“Colon’s dreamy illustrations capture the brief friendship and its life-altering effects in soft earth tones, using round sculptured shapes that often depict the boy right in the middle of whatever story realm he's entered.” –Kirkus Reviews
V. CONNECTIONS
**Include in a storytime with a “Library” theme.
Mora, Pat. 1997. TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY. Ill. by Raul Colon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0679904018
II. SUMMARY
Tomas lives with his migrant family who move during the year to follow the crops. They spend the winter in Texas and the summers in Iowa. While in Iowa, Tomas discovers the library and he begins to explore new stories in the books. He brings the stories home to share with his family.
III. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Based on a true story, Mora’s sweet story of TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY could seem too sweet, if it were not true. Mora describes the life of migrant workers and their uprooted lives. Tomas’s family must move to follow the seasonal crops. Mora’s storytelling is a narrative of the events Tomas experiences during one summer in Iowa. Tomas enjoys the stories his grandfather, Papa Grande tells in Spanish. It is Papa Grande who suggests to Tomas that he go to the library by himself and learns new stories to share with the family. Nervous at first, Tomas comes upon an imposing library, but he is brought in and encouraged by a librarian.
Tomas reads many books and learns many new stories to share. He befriends the librarian and begins to teach her Spanish words. Finally, it is time for the family to migrate back to Texas, and he teaches the librarian a new word…”adios.” Mora’s story includes Spanish phrases throughout the text, and she provides translations within the story. For example, while telling a story to his family Tomas says “Que tigre tan grande!” and then he says in English, “What a big tiger!” Other familiar Spanish words are not translated, though. This interlingual technique is common in Hispanic literature.
Within the text, there are other indications of the cultural authenticity of Mora’s work. The first example that stands out is the names of the characters. Some of the names are Tomas and Enrique. In addition, Tomas calls his parents Mama and Papa, and his grandfather is called Papa Grande. These are each common in Hispanic culture. Another example within the text is the food described. Tomas’s mother makes the librarian “pan dulce” or sweet bread to thank her. This is another example of a cultural marker within the story.
The illustrations throughout the story are soft muted tones created with a scratchboard technique. The pictures are curved depictions of the descriptions in the text. The characters are portrayed with brown skin-tones, except for the Caucasian librarian Tomas befriends, which adds to the cultural authenticity of the story. Colon has captured the imagination of Tomas as he discovers new stories in the library in dynamic illustrations of dinosaurs and horses. The books seem to come alive through Tomas’s imagination. Details such as the car the family drives in give the story a sense of time, and clearly this story takes place in the 1940s or 50s.
Overall, Mora’s story is somewhat saccharine in nature, but the overall cultural authenticity and authority of the narrative make it a moving tale of a boy discovering the library’s riches. At the conclusion, Mora provides a brief biography of the real “Tomas,” making readers appreciate even more the experiences of the boy in this story.
IV. REVIEW EXCERPTS
“From the immigrant slums of New York City to the fields of California, it's an elemental American experience: the uprooted child who finds a home in the library. Mora's story is based on a true incident in the life of the famous writer Tomas Rivera, the son of migrant workers who became an education leader and university president… Colon's beautiful scratchboard illustrations, in his textured, glowingly colored, rhythmic style, capture the warmth and the dreams that the boy finds in the world of books.” –Booklist
“Colon’s dreamy illustrations capture the brief friendship and its life-altering effects in soft earth tones, using round sculptured shapes that often depict the boy right in the middle of whatever story realm he's entered.” –Kirkus Reviews
V. CONNECTIONS
**Include in a storytime with a “Library” theme.
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