Week 6: Tomas and the Library Lady

Book Cover Image:

Book Summary:

This book is about a migrant farming family who travels from Iowa to Texas to work the crops at harvesting time. Tomas visits the library and makes a new friend in the librarian. She encourages him to read and to keep learning. They read together sometimes and he even teaches her some Spanish words. When he reads, he gets lost in the books. He loves his time in the library. Nevertheless, one day he has to leave Iowa again and head for Texas. He has to say goodbye to his new friend but she presents him with his very own book. He shares this book with his family and keeps reading and learning. This book is well suited for grades 2-4.

APA Reference:

Mora, P. (1997). Tomas and the library lady. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

My Impressions:

I really liked this book. Of course, anytime a teacher or librarian encourages a student to read and they end of loving it, that makes for a great book. I liked that the author was using true life events to inspire this story. This helps it be more historically accurate. I enjoyed learning about migrant farmers in more detail. I really appreciate any book that helps children learn about different cultures. It was a little sad when Tomas had to leave Iowa and the library lady to go back to Texas, but he obviously kept on reading and learning. In real life, Tomas went on to become a very well educated person. He was a writer, professor, and university chancellor in California. I think the fact that this was based on true events, makes it a more appealing book. I think children would also enjoy that fact and it also give the book more authority on the subject. Raul Colon, the illustrator, also helps bring an honest look at migrant life with his detailed artwork.  

Professional Review:

“Ages 4-8. From the immigrant slums of New York City to the fields of California, it's an elemental American experience: the uprooted child who finds a home in the library. Mora's story is based on a true incident in the life of the famous writer Tomas Rivera, the son of migrant workers who became an education leader and university president. Far from his home in Texas, the small boy is working with his family picking corn in Iowa. Inspired by the Spanish stories his grandfather (Papa Grande) tells, Tomas goes to the library to find more stories. The librarian welcomes him into the cool, quiet reading room and gives him books in English that he reads to himself and to his family. He teaches her some Spanish words. Then, as in so many migrant stories, the boy must leave the home he has found. He has a new, sad word for her, "adios. It means goodbye." Colon's beautiful scratchboard illustrations, in his textured, glowingly colored, rhythmic style, capture the warmth and the dreams that the boy finds in the world of books. The pictures are upbeat; little stress is shown; even in the fields, the kids could be playing kick ball or listening to stories. Perhaps the most moving picture is that of the child outside the library door, his face pressed against the pane. In contrast is the peaceful space he finds inside, where he is free to imagine dinosaurs and wild adventure.”

Review Reference:

Rochman, H. (1997, August). [Review of the book Tomas and the library lady, by P. Mora].

            Booklist, 93(22), 1906. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/  

Library Uses:

Focus ages: grades 2-4

This book can be used in a display of Latin American books.

This book can be used in a read aloud then the librarian and classroom teacher can use it in an extension activity. The students can write about a time when someone helped them. This would be great practice for the state writing tests, as well.