The first half of this book has some humorous interactions between Diego and his sister which draw in and entertain children. The second half of the book draws in adults, causing them to feel both the sadness of missing a far-off relative and the joy of reuniting with them. Without ever saying "I love you," both Diego and his grandfather teach us in a few short words that love between family members is what really matters, and can transcend all barriers. When Little Diego finally gets to see Papa Diego, it is the best day of his life.

Even though it is long for a picture book, A Gift From Papa Diego can be read aloud by an adult in as little as 20 minutes. If your story time is shorter than that, breaking it into segments is easy. There are several logical stopping places that provide suspense for the next reading session. A wonderful story and excellent bilingual text in side-by-side format!

The book tells the story of a young boy living in El Paso,Tx who misses his beloved grandfather who lives across the border in Chihuahua,Mexico. This book touches the heart as few others do. It is both touching and funny. My students loved its message that the best gifts are those from the heart. It was great to have a story set in their own hometown! The illustrator's use of clay really awed my students and encouraged them to try it instead of drawing. They thought the 3-dimensional aspects brought the characters to life!

Elegies In Blue is a remarkable selection of free-verse poetry by Benjamin Alire Saenz that transcribes the author's life experience of learning, absorbing history, growing, experiencing joy, and suffering terrible loss. Creating poetry akin to elegies in that it praises the lives of those who helped the author find the right words, Elegies In Blue is a book of memorable, dynamic verse. "You're an icon, now,/Sabes? And nobody gives one damned minimum-wage/Dollar that you broke your fasts by going/To communion at your local Catholic Church./The Body of Christ did not save your causes."

Part of this favorable review comes from the fact that I grew up in Palo Alto and the S.F. Bay Area. The book is about language, about communication, about the need we all have to achieve it, even if it means shaking up our life. The coincidences of the plot all work to perfection. It works. The book makes you believe all things are possible, all things can change, and it's never too later. It also presents a sadly accurate view of gay love in the Bay Area. It's a fine, fine book.

Carry me like water uses some very fun and surreal Mexican catholic imagery and new age spiritual imagery. More importantly, it has the best character development of any novel I've read. I highly recommend this book!

This is the finest writing I've ever seen - you literally forget you're reading a work of fiction. The characters and their stories are so finely crafted, no coincidence is beyond belief, no emotion too handily displayed. This book breaks your heart and fills you with joy at the same time. So unfortunate that it's out of print.

This uniquely candid portrait of Chicano men gives the reader an intimate, honest look into their lives. "Vatos" doesn't discriminate -- it shows all aspects of Chicano life to give a full perspective. The most interesting idea here is that Galvez and Urrea worked independently of each other, yet the photographs seem to work with the poem perfectly (and vice-versa). I suggest checking this out. The poem is provocative, with lines like "All the Vatos brave in deadly classrooms," and the black and white photos give a subdued effect.

The title "Vatos" and the picture of the homies on the cover are a little deceptive as this book covers many different men in varied situations. There are also farmworkers, mariachis , Aztec dancers, lawyers, men with their mothers and daughters and children in church included but the vast majority are mostly your stereotypical images of hard core dudes or vatos. These are images of strength, of strangers in a strange yet familiar land. The beauty of the strength and yet vulnerability of the young and old men is frozen in time, locked into the moment for future generations. The pride and respect for family tradition, the refusal to assimilate, to stay seperate but within the confines of barrio pride and the cultural pride glow from these beautiful black and white photographs. The words or the poetry accomapanying the images make for a heartfelt experience revealing the deep conviction of Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Jose Galvez and award winning young writer Luis Alberto Urrea. The imagery is touching and gives a glimpse into the ordinary lives of people who have claimed a piece of the American dream through tinted brown glasses, squinting from the shiny veneer of traditonal American life. The vatos portrayed have claimed their own dignity even under undignified conditions. The pictures span decades of time and when you look at them you can't help but speculate about the people in them. When you see a young teenage vato, dressed in typical homie attire, you wonder where he is now and if his chosen path has detoured for the better or worse. Looking at the old men, the lines revealing the years , the paths of experience, the eyes looking at you showing the depth of their experiences , you can't help but feel the time lost. This book is a moving visual experience and a great gift idea. If you look closely into the eyes of the vatos you will see the ghosts of Moctezuma, Morelos, Juarez, Hidalgo and Zapata, shrouded in the flesh of the Huastecs, Olmecs, Maya, Toltecs, Zapotecs and Aztecs, rising from the barrios and fields of Aztlan to live another day.

Vatos is a joining of the photographs by Jose Galvez and the poetry of Luis Alberto Urrea. The word "vatos" is Chicano street slang for "dude, guy, pal, or brother". The poem comprising the text is Urrea's "Hymn to Vatos Who Will Never Be in a Poem", and is an evocation of Chicano manhood and a shining spotlight on Chicano men who are typically ignored or misrepresented by the surrounding culture, from migrant workers and barrio homeboys to blue-collar husbands and social activists. Jose Galvez's memorable, black-and-white photographs throughout Vatos bring its reverberant poetry to life, creating a unique visual and cognitive experience. Highly recommended.

While the "psychological thriller" is not really my cup of tea, I found this poetic work to be inventive and at times provocative. Saenz, a passionate writer and reader of poetry, infuses this novel with his poetic verve. The plot, a modernized, ramped-up version of Hawthorne, is well-paced and for the most part carefully laid out. The weakness would have to be in the characterizations: the rugged independent-minded good cop, dog-kicked for his honesty, and the equally independent, honest and hardworking female public defender, who just happens to be attractive and southern. Unfortunately, we know these folks from tv. The reclusive (and of course famous) academic and his goddess kidnap victim are more realistic.

For intriguing, escapist reading, this book is recommended, not for overall literary accomplishment.

Saenz has a remarkable imagination, and a true poet's sensitivity to the complexity of human emotion. He weaves a mesmerizing and compelling story, not least because it is unusual. It is almost gothic, with Thomas Blacker's house and garden as it's center and it's beautifully evocative descriptive passages. The atmosphere is perfect and the characterizations (for the most part)are psychologically incisive. The character of Gloria is a remarkably human and "real" character, and it is worth commending Saenz for that alone.

However, I cannot help but wish Saenz had spent more time on the character of Thomas and his relationship with Gloria. I felt he could have done better on that end. He tries to pass Thomas off as a monster at the end, yet that is not how he was portrayed--when you write realistic fiction, you have to create real people and Thomas, in this world, was real. He wasn't a monster any more than Karl Marx was a monster. His ideas were overly idealistic and too simplistic, like Marx's ideas of communism. And his childlike puzzlement that his plans didn't work out as he thought they would emphasize his humanity as well as the mental illness that he labored under. Mental illness does not equal a monster--only a lost and curiously naive human being. To be a monster is to be intentionally cruel. Thomas was not intentionally cruel and didn't realize his cruelty, therefore, Thomas is not a monster.

I FOUND THIS BOOK BY ACCIDENT AT A BOOK SALE. I LOVED IT FROM THE FIRST PAGE. IT IS ABOUT A WOMAN WHO WAS KIDNAPPED AT AGE 7 AND LIVED HER LIFE AS A CAPTIVE IN A MAN'S HOUSE. HER VIEW OF HER WORLD IS PERCEPTIVE, POETIC AND SENSITIVE. SHE STABS HER CAPTOR, IS IMPRISONED AND THEN RELEASED. THIS BOOK GRABBED A HOLD OF ME AND WOULD NOT LET GO UNTIL I FINISHED IT. THE CHARACTERS ARE REAL AND I WAS LEAD ALONG UNTIL THE SURPRISE ENDING. I WASN'T SURE WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN AND THAT KEPT ME HOOKED.

For the second time, noted Mexican-American novelist and poet Saenz turns his hand to the picture book. Grandma Fina likes to walk through her neighborhood carrying her old umbrella [or parasol, if you prefer] to keep her cool during the hot days. As she greets her friends and relatives on her walk, they all notice how tattered the umbrella is, and each decides-- individually-- to give her a new one for her birthday. And so she receives 9 new umbrellas, which she cheerfully shares with her friends at the retirement center. The repetitive nature of her greetings and the thoughts of her neighbors about her umbrella will please young readers or listeners, who will be able to predict what will happen next or even to join in with the conversation. The illustrations are bright and cheery. Spanish phrases are worked seamlessly into the English text [just as Spanish and English flow together in the American Southwest], and a complete Spanish version of the story is provided as well-- the English is printed in black, the Spanish in green. Charming and sweet, "Grandma Fina" is sure to please.