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(More customer reviews)It's hard to resist the charms of a picture book filled to brimming with tiny fabulous details in a vast cityscape. It's probably one of the reasons I love books like, "Who Needs Donuts?" by Mark Stamaty or James Warhola's, "Uncle Andy's" so much. Usually books of this nature are very precise. They hide delicate little intricacies on each and every page, just waiting for the viewer to find them. Yet I've never read a picture book that contains such remarkably colorful embellishments as I have in Arthur Dorros' 1991 treasure, "Abuela". Taking a standard fantasy of wishing to fly, author Dorros and illustrator Elisa Kleven have given us a remarkable journey above a world too complex to capture in a single book. To read this book is to experience something beautiful.
Rosalba is quite close to her Grandmother or "Abuela" as she is called in Spanish. The two often go on enjoyable trips around and about town, just for the heck of it. On this particular day, the woman and the girl go to the park (Central Park, by the look of it) to feed the birds. It's there that Rosalba begins to speculate a little. What if the birds picked her up and started flying away with her? What if her Abuela simply leapt into the sky and flew too? The birds gone, the two could soar above factories, trains, people, and workers. What follows is a story in which Rosalba describes the path the two could take while skimming across the sky. They wave to the people and visit the Statue of Liberty. They race the sailboats, hitch a ride with an airplane, and hug on a cloud. In the end, the two are back in the park and they decide to go on another adventure in a boat. "Vamos" Abuela says, and she takes her granddaughter's hand.
There are quite a few remarkable Spanish/English picture books out there in the world today. One of the best, without question, is L.M. Gonzalez's, "The Bossy Gallito". But "Abuela" is just as good in many ways. There's a helpful dictionary of Spanish to English terms for those words and phrases in the text that kids (or adults) didn't quite understand. The story itself is well told, though its definitely left unclear whether or not the fantastic events that take place in this book are true or false. Aside from that, it's a great text, remenicient of Faith Ringgold's other kids-flying-above-New-York picture book, "Tar Beach". A pairing of the two during a storytime would not be out of place.
When I write reviews of picture books, this paragraph tends to be the space where I say something along the lines of "Of course the book itself would be nothing without the pictures". "Abuela" is no different and though it may seem a little repetitive, I say it again. The illustrations in this book are remarkable. What caught me off guard was the level of detail and the multitude of colors and fabrics lining the corners and seams of every page. This is perhaps the most subtle picture book I have ever seen in terms of how it uses mixed media. While some books throw fabrics and other elements into their pictures in a distinctly slap-dash fashion, "Abuela" subtley works them into the context of the illustrations without distracting you or drawing your eye away from the action. Whether it's Abuela's purple dotted purse or the fabric crested tops of buildings, the mixed-media here is perfectly melded to the story. Then there are the thousands of details lining each and every page. Plus the fact that everything is bright, colorful, and lively without ever straying into gaudy territory. Finally, illustrator Elisa Kleven has imbued her main character with a great deal of liveliness. Rosalba and her Abuela dip and dive and swoop with perfect grace and poise. If humans could fly, this is the best possible way they could look in sky.
It is not possible to be disappointed with "Abuela". The book is a fun fancy-free encapsulation of the ultimate flight of fancy. Kids that read this tale will be envious of Rosalba and her beloved grandmother. Adults will coo at the pretty pictures and helpful text. A beautiful story unencumbered by weight or gravity. Lovely.
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