Katherine LeinerCritiques

This book is about children telling their story of living with alcoholic parents. The kids are of various ages, genders, races, and socio-economic backgrounds. Each child tells what it is like living with alcoholic parents and the impact that it had on them. The book lists further readings for children of alcoholic parents and also where they can receive help. I like the idea of the book because children need to know that they are not alone when going through difficult situations. A lot of the time children think they are the only ones going through something and this book proves they aren’t.

This book was okay. I wouldn’t add it to my library, but I would definitely try and find another book that dealt with alcoholism. I feel like the students would look at the pictures in the book and just check out. They would probably say the book is outdated and doesn’t related to the problems they have to deal with today. I can definitely take that point. Personally I would try and find a book that went into more details about what the children went through and how they found help.½

I really enjoyed reading Mama Does The Mambo because the story described the tradition of dancing that the mama kept close to her heart. After the little girl’s papa died, the dancing began to vanish. After the long, hard search and stress for mama to find a dancing partner for Carnvial, the little girl was surprised to find out that her mama wanted her to dance along with her during the big celebration. The story is remarkable because it shows a bond between a mother and daughter and their faith in dancing even after the Papa passed away. The text also incorporates the Spanish language along with some English translation. For example, when the little girl responds to the neighbor, she states, “Un compañero? A partner?” The text shows a lot of Culture in it as well. On the same page, it shows the neighbor cooking next to a sign that states, “Especíales” which means “specials” in English. This is a great multicultural story to incorporate into the classroom literature collection.

I liked this book for 3 reasons. First, it is a bilingual book, introducing Spanish words and phrases to the reader. For example, the book would either state a sentence in English with Spanish words incorporated into the sentence or state an entire sentence in Spanish such as “Eduardo es muy guapo.” In this case, students would have to infer what the words “muy guapo” might mean through the context of the story. Although this language may be difficult for non-Spanish speaking students to read, it is just challenging enough to keep them interested. Second, the illustrations in this book are extremely vivid and realistic. The illustrator really makes you feel like you are in Cuba, and the illustrations reflect what is happening in the story. For example, when the author discusses Papa’s death at the beginning of the book, the illustrations are solemn. You can tell through the pictures that Mama is happier in the illustrations that include Papa than when Papa is gone. Third, the language in this book is extremely descriptive. The author goes into great detail, using figurative language to enhance the story. For example, “The sound of their hands when they came together was like palm leaves flapping in the wind: Mama’s against Papa’s, Papa’s against Mama’s; her crimson skirts whipping a million lights.” The central message of this book is that family and traditions are what is most important, but this book can also be used to help students cope with moving on from losing a loved one.

This book focuses around the big idea of family and keeping traditions alive. I really enjoyed reading this book, and think it could be a nice read for a child coping with the loss of a parent or loved one. The story focuses on letting new people in but still celebrating the love they have for their lost loved one. I enjoyed this book because the story was sweet and unlike any children’s book I have read before. I love dance and liked reading about the family’s love for dance. On the other hand, the story was long and kids could lose focus on it, however it includes lots of Spanish words, which could be fun for kids to practice saying. The book concludes with a glossary at the end, which is very helpful. The illustrations were large and bright which made the story even more fun! The book concludes on such a nice note, relating back to the main idea of family “Mama holds the beat and I am the rhythm.”

I had mixed feelings about the book “Mama Does the Mambo” by Katherine Leiner. I liked the language in this multicultural book, I thought it did a great job of combining English and Spanish. The author would say something in Spanish and explain it smoothly in English. ‘“Eduardo es muy simpatico.” Rosa thinks Eduardo is nice’. This language will help students learn Spanish words. The teacher must read over the Spanish and be familiar with the words before reading it to the class because they are not just basic Spanish words. If the teachers messes up the pronunciation, then the students will learn it wrong, and this would not be beneficial. Also, I did not like how long the book was, I think that students would easily lose interest because it continues on for a while. The main message in the book revolves around coping with loss and letting others in. This message may push readers to think about loss and coping, it may be relatable and could benefit students who have similar situations.

I enjoyed reading this book and I think it would be a great tool in the classroom to help spotlight the Cuban culture and Spanish language of some students. One reason I liked this book is because it combined English words with Spanish words. All of the Spanish words were somewhat commonsense words, like pantalones for pants, and they were italicized to signal that the word was in Spanish. A glossary in the back of the book defined all of the words, which would be a great resource for children reading the book. The author was able to integrate a plethora of Spanish words into the text and it added to its authenticity as a multicultural book. Another reason I liked this book is because of the beautiful and detailed illustrations. They were able to accurately depict the Cuban atmosphere and give the reader an authentic look into another culture. For example, one page discusses how the mother and father loved dancing outside together when the father got home from work, and the illustration shows the typical Cuban dress worn by the mother and the typical Cuban attire worn by the father. It also shows the palm trees that are all over Cuba. The big idea of this story is that although something terrible might happen to you, like a death of a loved one, happiness is possible through the love of your family.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the plot and felt that the message was pretty powerful about moving on and accepting the past. A quote that I feel really exemplifies the main message is, “Mama holds the beat and I am rhythm. And there, in front of all Havana, I am dancing with Mama, and Mama is dancing the Mambo again.” On the other hand, I felt that the language was very difficult. There were many challenging words, especially Spanish words, and not all of them were properly defined within the text. For example, “Selvagio from el Mercado, Esdras from la farmacia, Pablo from la officinal de correros, and Miguel in is shiny red Chevrolet.” These are very challenging words and they were not all defined in the glossary in the back.

Mama Does the Mambo is a great book to introduce different cultures and activities into the classroom. The main character, Sofia, is a girl who lost her father and since his passing her mother stopped dancing. Sofia missed seeing her mother dance so it became her mission to find a dance partner for her mother for carnival but no one was ever good enough to replace her father. Her mother then starts dating Eduardo, but he can't dance. The day of carnival everyone is expecting Sofia's mother to dance but no one knows who with. Then while her mother is starting to dance she looks over at Sofia and they start to mambo together.

Children of alcoholic parents tell their experiences and how they cope with the reality of their parents addiction. Children are of different ages and social standings. Further readings and support for children of alcoholics is added at the end.

I enjoyed the culture of this book. Many aspects of cuban culture were touched upon: the food, the language, the dances, the places of business, carnival, and even traditional clothing. The culture was great but there is a deeper message behind it, because Sofia's father has passed she and her mother must learn to take comfort in each other and realize that while they can have a new man in their lives, no one will ever take papa's place. Sofia wants to see her mama dance again and is pushing her to find a new partner in time for carnival. While mama does find a new man, he's not very quick on his feet, and is no good for dancing. In the end it is Sofia who gets her mama to dance again, and it is Sofia who becomes her dance partner. This is good for teaching student about a new culture, about dealing with the death of a family member, or about some new and exciting dances. It's kind of a bleak lesson set in an exciting colorful book if you ask me.

Personal Response:I enjoyed the book because of the colorful illustrations. This book seemed to share with the reader a custom of this Cuban family and involves the reader in a human event that changed the family but kept the traditions alive.

Curricular or Programming Connections: In a public library setting a program can be implemented where children can listen to the music and practice some of the steps to the music.

I love the illustrations in this book. They do a wonderful job of capturing the essence of the language and words used to create a beautiful image. This book has a really serious issue-the death of the girl's father, but it shows how to grieve and also how to adapt to new situations. It is a wonderful book to read to discuss not only the large issue in the book, but also the culture and traditions that are present in the story.

This book is wonderful. The illustrations are lively and colorful. We follow a little girl as she ponders why her mother no longer dances after the death of her father. Finally she finds that she can help her mother to dance again. This book could be used in a discussion about death. It could be used in the study of different culture. It could be incorporated into a music or dance class or a spanish class. Beautiful book, it made me cry.