Book Review: TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY by Pat Mora

Bibliography
Mora, Pat. 1997. TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY. Ill. by Raul Colon. New York: Random House. ISBN: 978-0-679-80401-7

Plot Summary
Tomas is the son of farm workers who travel between Iowa and Texas throughout the year. During a season in Iowa, Tomas is allowed to go to the library for the first time. There he befriends the librarian. She brings him books that interest him and helps his love for stories to grow. In return, Tomas teaches the librarian how to speak Spanish. At the end of the story, Tomas has to leave for Texas. He is sad to leave the library, but he has gained a love for reading.

Critical Analysis
TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY is based on the true story of Tomas Rivera, a very prominent man in the literary world. This storybook is a good introduction to both stories based on the truth and examples of  different cultures. I for one had no idea that farm workers traveled between states so they could work year round. I thought this was very interesting and shows that adults can still learn from children's books.
TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY also introduces a multilingual family. The story has both English and Spanish words and phrases in the book. This helps children who are a part of a dual language household relate to the story, and it also shows children who are not multilingual what it would be like to switch back and forth from Spanish to English.
Also, the illustrations represent the Spanish culture. The art is rough and scored as if they were painted on something other than paper or canvas. The way the illustrations are drawn makes one think of the beautiful murals on the sides of buildings in Mexico.

Review Excerpts
*An International Reading Association Teachers' Choice
*Winner of the Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award
*A Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee

Connections
For the connections, the library can have pre-made booklets for the children so they can create their own story and share it with their family, just like Tomas. Also, the librarian can teach the children some Spanish words that are associated with the story like the spanish word for "dinosaur" or "tiger" or "library" or "book".