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La mariposa

The Butterfly (Spanish Ediiton)

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

In his first year of school, Francisco understands little of what his teacher says. But he is drawn to the silent, slow-moving caterpillar in the jar next to his desk. He knows caterpillars turn into butterflies, but just how do they do it? To find out, he studies the words in a butterfly book so many times that he can close his eyes and see the black letters, but he still can't understand their meaning. Illustrated with paintings as deep and rich as the wings of a butterfly, this honest, unsentimental account of a schoolchild's struggle to learn language reveals that our imaginations powerfully sustain us. La Mariposa makes a subtle plea for tolerance in our homes, in our communities, and in our schools.

En su primer año escolar, Francisco comprende poco de lo que dice la maestra. Pero le llama la atención la oruga silenciosa y lenta en el frasco al lado de su escritorio. Sabe que las orugas se convierten en mariposas, ¿pero cómo lo hacen? Para descubrirlo, estudia las palabras en un libro de mariposas tanto que puede cerrar los ojos y ver las letras negras, pero aún no puede comprender su significado. Ilustrado con pinturas tan profundas y ricas como las alas de una mariposa, esta honesta y práctica historia de un niño y su lucha para aprender un idioma revela que nuestras imaginaciones tienen el poder para sostenernos. La mariposa hace un pedido sutil por la tolerancia en nuestros hogares, en comunidades y en nuestras escuelas.

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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 28, 1998
      A Spanish-speaking boy struggles through first grade in this disjointed tale. Arriving in January for his first day of school, Francisco, the son of a migrant worker, gets a headache as he listens to all the other children speak English; his name is the only word he recognizes. Finally, he "learned a way out. When his head began to hurt from trying to understand, he let his mind wander." As Jim nez (The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child) describes the boy's daydreams, the narrative also begins to wander; the action moves from the present to Francisco's daydreams and back, then skips ahead from late January to March. Francisco eventually does earn the respect of his peers because of his talent as an artist (his drawing of a butterfly--la mariposa--wins first prize in a contest), but this story line is eclipsed by other threads in the plot (including a fist fight with the most popular kid in class resulting from a misunderstanding, resolved when Francisco awards the bully with his prize drawing). Silva's (Gathering the Sun) gouache illustrations recall the warm earthy tones of Mexican folk art, but his characters are curiously expressionless. Alternate spreads include no art and introduce large blocks of text with few paragraph breaks, rendering this cumbersome reading for the target audience. Ages 6-10.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • Spanish; Castilian

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.9
  • Lexile® Measure:750
  • Interest Level:K-3(LG)
  • Text Difficulty:3

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