TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mora, Pat. 2000. Tomas and the Library Lady. Raul Colon (Illustrator) Dragonfly Books; 1st Dragonfly Books Ed. 10: 0375803491 ISBN-13: 978-0375803499

PLOT SUMMARY
The story of Tomas is based on the life of Tomas Rivera, a successful Mexican American writer and educator. As a boy Tomas loved stories told to him by his Papa Grande. The Rivera family were migrant workers that traveled between Iowa and Texas to help with the harvest. In Iowa, Papa Grande sent Tomas to the library to find more stories. The library lady invited Tomas in for a drink of water. She brought him books to read about dinosaurs and tigers and anything that interested Tomas. Tomas would read to his family many of the stories from his books. Tomas taught his new friend, the librarian words in Spanish. Words like libro for book and pajaro for bird. Tomas and his family would visit the dump to find metal to sell. Tomas would find books that other people had discarded that he would read. When the harvest was finished, Tomas and his family had to head back to Texas. Tomas brought a 'pan dulce,' a traditional Mexican sweet bread, made by his mother as a gift for the library lady. The library lady gave Tomas a book to take home to Texas.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The biography of Tomas Rivera, by Pat Mora gives children a realistic look at life for a Mexican American migrant family. The story encourages learning and the enjoyment of reading. The inside cover of the book has suggestions for activities to enhance the story. Suggested questions are given on the inside cover to inspire discussion. Matching words in Spanish and English are provided as an activity. The scratchboard drawings are interesting with a style reminiscent of earlier times in the 1940's. The story of Tomas is for 4-8 year olds

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist -
Ages 4-8. 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. Far from his home in Texas, the small boy is working with his family picking corn in Iowa. Inspired by the Spanish stories his grandfather (Papa Grande) tells, Tomas goes to the library to find more stories. The librarian welcomes him into the cool, quiet reading room and gives him books in English that he reads to himself and to his family. He teaches her some Spanish words. Then, as in so many migrant stories, the boy must leave the home he has found. He has a new, sad word for her, "adios. It means goodbye." 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. The pictures are upbeat; little stress is shown; even in the fields, the kids could be playing kick ball or listening to stories. Perhaps the most moving picture is that of the child outside the library door, his face pressed against the pane. In contrast is the peaceful space he finds inside, where he is free to imagine dinosaurs and wild adventure. Hazel Rochman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Kirkus Reviews-
A charming, true story about the encounter between the boy who would become chancellor at the University of California at Riverside and a librarian in Iowa. Tomas Rivera, child of migrant laborers, picks crops in Iowa in the summer and Texas in the winter, traveling from place to place in a worn old car. When he is not helping in the fields, Tom s likes to hear Papa Grande's stories, which he knows by heart. Papa Grande sends him to the library downtown for new stories, but Tom s finds the building intimidating. The librarian welcomes him, inviting him in for a cool drink of water and a book. Tom s reads until the library closes, and leaves with books checked out on the librarian's own card. For the rest of the summer, he shares books and stories with his family, and teaches the librarian some Spanish. At the end of the season, there are big hugs and a gift exchange: sweet bread from Tomas's mother and a shiny new book from the librarian to keep. 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. (Picture book. 7-10) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

CONNECTIONS

Dona Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart (Pura Belpre Medal Book Illustrator (Awards)) (Hardcover) by Pat Mora (Author), Raul Colon (Illustrator)
g level: Ages 4-8Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (October 11, 2005) Language: English ISBN-10: 0375823379 ISBN-13: 978-0375823374

Pablo's Tree (Hardcover) by Pat Mora (Author), Cecily Lang (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Library Binding edition (September 1, 1994) Language: English ISBN-10: 0027674010 ISBN-13: 978-0027674019

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