Yesterday I read
By Pam Munoz Ryan & Peter Sis
Sometimes I wonder if children’s books are really written for children. I wonder if I would have read this book as a child. I wonder if I would have loved this book the way I love it as a grandmother.
Printed in green, the color of hope, the story of Neftali Reyes, who grows up to become Pablo Neruda, is told in verse, illustration, and prose, a sweet, tender reflection on the resilience of childhood. The timid stuttering boy belittled by his father and without friends finds his voice in the written word.
When his step-mother reads to him:
“Between the pages, he forgot that he stuttered when he spoke. He saw himself healthy and strong like his older brother, Rodolfo; cheerful like his little sister, Laurita; and confident and intelligent like his uncle Orlando, who owned the local newspaper. While the pages turned, he even dared to imagine himself with a friend.”
Maybe these children will like it . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment