 |
Reviewed by: Ana Canino-Fluit, Elementary School Librarian Title: Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Lnd Author: Mirelle Ortega Publisher: Cameron Kids
Year: 2022 Good for Grades: PK-3 Genre/Type of Book: Picture Book
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Grief, loss, migration Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: Hispanic/Latino/e/x Heritage Month readings If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: Gentle, vibrant and heartfelt, Mirelle Ortega's verses and illustrations captivate.
|
Review:
Mirelle Ortega's gentle and heartfelt story about the enduring power of change is universal but grounded in Ortega's history and family heritage. The illustrations are simple, beautiful and vibrantly colorful. Told from the point of view of a young migrant from Veracruz, Mexico recalling growing up her family's pineapple farm and noting the transformative magical power of change. Ortega notes the positive and painful ways change magic transforms us in everyday ways, the craftwomen transforming threads into weavings, the farmer transforming seeds in to plants, the builder transforming plans into buildings to more elemental or painful changes, like gentle rains transforming into tropical storms. It gently frames the passing of elders, the loss of trees and the passing of time as neutral magical transformations that change a person, while recalling her grand-father's wisdom that harvests don't come without rain, and that sadness & loss can be transmuted into happiness and new growth, although that transformation can be painfully and slow.
Number of party hats:
Find this video and other resources for When Things Aren't Going Right, Go Left at Teachingbooks.net
For more information about this book, see the Publishers Website
Access this book in Monroe One BOCES SORA Account:
Access this book in Monroe 2 BOCES SORA Account: