Hispanic/Latino(a) Lit- LOVE TO MAMA: A TRIBUTE TO MOTHERS

Bibliographic Data

Mora, Pat. 2001. Love to Mamá: a Tribute to Mothers. Ill. Paula Barragán. New York: Lee & Low Books. ISBN: 9781584300199

Brief Plot Summary

Authors from a variety of Hispanic backgrounds contribute poetry about mothers and grandmothers.

Critical Analysis

Language is one of the clearest cultural markers in this collection. Many titles of poems are Spanish words, Palomita, Las Abuelitas, Mi Mama Cubana, and more. The titles appear in a bright orange font matching the vibrancy of the accompanying illustrations. Not all the words are translated. There are times that the meaning is not in contextual clues and some readers will have to look them up.

The authors are from diverse backgrounds, so Spanish speakers may not recognize or personally relate to all the words. Speaking of varying vocabulary readers will find multiple words for mother: mami and mamá.

Some poems have whole sentences in Spanish while others sprinkle words.

“Mi cielo, come here! I need a big abrazo from you” (2001).

Mi Abuelita es Como un Nopal en Flor is completely in Spanish, but the opposite page includes the English translation.

The authors featured in this collection also have short biographies at the end of the book. They are diverse in their experience as authors and backgrounds, Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and more. Both men and women are represented in this group.

The illustrator is Ecuadoran and has illustrated other children’s books. Paula Barragán’s illustrations depict characters varying in skin tones from pale to deep browns. Hair color and textures also vary from brown to red to black to gray.  Some images depict only a single line of the poems while others set a mood. Barragán creates her work using cut pieces of paper then edits them in Adobe Illustrator. She often displays colorful Spanish vocabulary within the pieces.

Readers will find a multitude of cultural markers to muse over. Many poems feature foods like empanadas in the poem Mi Abuela or saffron in arroz con pollo in the poem Mi Mama Cubana. The first poem’s illustration depicts a large floral skirt. That poem, Palomita, expresses the creation of the skirt and its fine details. The Poem Las Abuelita talks about the presents children receive from their grandmothers, preserving the oral tradition, and salsa music. Abuelita Wears a Dress shows an illustration depicting the last lines, “And when la cumbia sways our hips across the floor, Abuelita’s bright red lipstick smile dances even more” (2001). Readers see a party scene of dancing and family affection.

According the Smolen and Oswald one of the common worldviews of Hispanic peoples is the valuing of familial relationships (2001). This book is clearly a celebration of a particular familial relationship, that with the mother. Many illustrations show family members embracing, sitting closely, hands reaching for each other, and looking fondly into each other’s eyes. Lines from poems share memories and images of the experience of enjoying this relationship. The mood is fond and celebratory. There is hugging and laughing. The pages hold much love and joy.

Smolen, Lynn Atkinson, and Ruth A. Oswald. 2011. Multicultural literature and response affirming diverse voices. Santa Barbara, Calif: Libraries Unlimited. 

Awards & Best Books

Adventuring with Books: A Booklist for PreK-Grade 6, 13th Edition, 2002 National Council of Teachers of English

Best Children's Books of the Year, 2002 Bank Street College of Education

Books to Read Aloud to Children of All Ages, 2003 Bank Street College of Education

Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, Supplement, 2002 H.W. Wilson

Children's Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, 2006 H.W. Wilson

Growing Up Latino in the U.S.A., 2004 ALSC American Library Association

Kirkus Book Review Stars, March 15, 2001

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2002 National Council for the Social Studies NCSS

Parent's Guide to Children's Media, 2001 Parent's Guide to Children's Media, Inc.

School Library Journal Book Review Stars, April 2001 Cahners

Review Excerpt(s)

“These personal poems carry meaning that transcends the individual and culture.”

- CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2002)

“Handsome patterns reflect her background as a graphic artist and carpet designer.”

- Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2001 (Vol. 69, No. 6)

“The opaque, saturated palette gives a poster-like flatness to the compositions, but slightly askew geometric figures add additional energy. Remember this for May displays and programming.”

- Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April 2001 (Vol. 54, No. 8))

Connections

Lesson plan via Lee & Low Books:

https://www.leeandlow.com/books/2424/teachers_guide

One particularly good set of questions from this plan are: Should poems always rhyme? Have you ever read any that don’t? What were they like? Were they easier or more difficult to understand than poems that rhyme?

Another great exercise from the lesson plan is to ask students how the color words contribute to the overall meaning of each poem. The instructor can take it a step further by having students create their own color words poems.

Lesson plan via Pat Mora’s website: http://www.patmora.com/ideas/#mama