My Name is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez / Me llamo Gabito: la vida de Gabriel García Márquez (Rising Moon / Luna Rising) by Monica Brown. Illustrated by by Raúl Colón.
Book review by Daniel Olivas
It is never too early to introduce young readers to great writers. Brown does exactly that with this enchanting book about one of the greatest writers who ever put pen to paper: Gabriel García Márquez.
Brown begins her story: “Can you imagine a shipwrecked sailor living on air and seaweed for eight days? Can you imagine a trail of yellow butterflies fluttering their wings to songs of love? Can you imagine gold and silver fish swimming in the air?” Perfectly framed by Colón’s whimsical illustrations, Brown tells us the story of one young Columbian boy who could imagine such things.
Living in a large, storytelling family, the young Gabito allowed his imagination to remain free and open to the wonders of the real world and the fantastical. He also observed the hardships of the people who worked in the banana plantation at the edge of town: “He tried to imagine a world where no one was poor and where everyone could sit with their grandfathers under the shade of a tree, holding hands and crunching ice.”
We all know that Gabito grew up to write magnificent books such as One Hundred Years of Solitude and win the Nobel Prize for Literature. This book will encourage young readers to appreciate the power of their own imagination and stories.
[This review first appeared in the MultiCultural Review.]
Book review by Daniel Olivas
It is never too early to introduce young readers to great writers. Brown does exactly that with this enchanting book about one of the greatest writers who ever put pen to paper: Gabriel García Márquez.
Brown begins her story: “Can you imagine a shipwrecked sailor living on air and seaweed for eight days? Can you imagine a trail of yellow butterflies fluttering their wings to songs of love? Can you imagine gold and silver fish swimming in the air?” Perfectly framed by Colón’s whimsical illustrations, Brown tells us the story of one young Columbian boy who could imagine such things.
Living in a large, storytelling family, the young Gabito allowed his imagination to remain free and open to the wonders of the real world and the fantastical. He also observed the hardships of the people who worked in the banana plantation at the edge of town: “He tried to imagine a world where no one was poor and where everyone could sit with their grandfathers under the shade of a tree, holding hands and crunching ice.”
We all know that Gabito grew up to write magnificent books such as One Hundred Years of Solitude and win the Nobel Prize for Literature. This book will encourage young readers to appreciate the power of their own imagination and stories.
[This review first appeared in the MultiCultural Review.]
Te novel sounds good. I especially enjoy the descriptive, vivid language. The attention to details gives readers an opportunity to go into a man's mind as he tries to perk-up his "manly-manliness."
ReplyDeleteKeep-up the good work!
Norma Landa Flores
Gracias, Norma. I'm having fun with David and his imperfections. But I hope that he will grow and improve himself as a person...the way King David did.
ReplyDeleteGreat story Daniel!
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to read the book.
saludos,
Rene