Canto Familiar

Children's Literature - Alexandria LaFaye

This book of "familiar songs" is a delightful collection of poems that touch on the universal aspects of childhood. With poems about meeting your teacher in the grocery store and losing your new eyeglasses at lunch, there are many familiar things all children can relate to. This book also has a strong Chicano influence with the frequent use of Chicano themes and Spanish words. Each poem has a powerful sense of the familiar for Chicano readers as well as universal elements of every day life from a child's perspective. The accessible, poignant, and lyrical narrative poetry is printed on glossy paper and accented by bright, woodcut illustrations. Children and adults will want to read this book over and over.

Children's Literature - Deborah Zink Roffino

Award winning poet Soto has created a book of story poems that characterize life for Mexican Americans. Blending two cultures is second nature to these young survivors. School, family and holidays are the major themes of these gems that can be read to younger children and appreciated by all ages.

School Library Journal

Gr 3 Up-Who could imagine that such joyous rhythm could be found in the familiar moments of life, such as washing dishes or spotting a teacher in the market? In this companion volume to Neighborhood Odes (Harcourt, 1992), Soto not only imagines the musical beat, but also captures the energy and tranposes it into poetic songs. Imagery abounds, as in the hot iron that ``snorts like a bull.'' Nelson's distinctive block prints bounce off white pages with vibrant magentas and bold blues outlined with thick black lines. The result is a harmony of words and pictures to be anticipated and savored. Although the landscape may be unfamiliar, readers are guided to this Mexican-American neighborhood, welcomed inside this home, and invited to share a child's thoughts about these universal experiences. Even with Spanish words woven throughout, the messages need no special interpretation to be understood. Pair this title with Soto's picture book Too Many Tamales (Putnam, 1993) or use it as an introduction to his novels for older readers. Read it, sing it, share it.-Sarabeth Kalajian, Venice Public Library, FL

Hazel Rochman

A companion to Soto's "Neighborhood Odes" (1992), this collection of simple free verse captures common childhood moments at home, at school, and in the street. Many of the experiences are Mexican American ("Spanish is seeing double" ), and occasional Spanish words are part of the easy, colloquial, short lines. The first-person voices are immediate, physical, and joyful, celebrating music, dancing, cats, friends, family. For example, it's weird and embarrassing to bump into your teacher at the supermarket. It's boring doing dishes. It's fun to eat while reading. The occasional full-page, richly colored woodcuts by Annika Nelson capture the child's imaginative take on ordinary things. This is a collection to read aloud and get kids writing about themselves.