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Summary
Summary
Esta es una historia bilingüe. Habla de la Soledad y el Miedo. Aborda un tema sensible. Se da en el marco de los procesos migratorios que viven familias enteras, en busca de una mejor situación económica. A veces los hijos sufren la peor parte de este proceso desgarrador y triste. Ellos deberán aprender a convivir con una realidad nueva y diferente y tendrán que adaptarse a lo desconocido. Como le sucedió a Soledad, la protagonista de este cuento. Ella todavía no se acostumbra a la casa vacía; pero todos los días deberá enfrentarse a sus propios demonios. También se siente sola, los padres ahora se ocupan demasiado tiempo del trabajo. La niña sabe que no puede hacerles ningún reclamo. Tendrá que arreglárselas sola.
Reviews (3)
Horn Book Review
Every day Soledad comes home from school to a lonely, empty house. With the help of her imagination, she finds ways to alleviate her boredom and appreciate the time she has to herself. This lengthy text, in both Spanish and English, aptly portrays the plight of kids without after-school programs. While figures in the illustrations are occasionally awkward, the colorful minimalist style is effective. From HORN BOOK Fall 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Soledad (whose name means solitude) sighs because she is a latchkey kid. Almost every day after school, she does her homework, has her supper, and falls asleep on the couch before anyone else is home. By keeping his focus firmly on Soledad's perceptions, González enhances her feelings of isolation from the adult world, a situation reflected in Ibarra's almost adult-free illustrations. Thus, when the neighbor Mrs. Ahmed checks on Soledad in the afternoon, the woman speaks through the door and doesn't enter the apartment or the illustration. Likewise, Soledad's mother appears only twice--waking Soledad up for school and coming home early from work one afternoon--and her father never. But Soledad begins to see her situation from a new angle when her friends, sisters Nedelsy and Jahniza, catch her playing with an imaginary sister. The two girls accompany Soledad home that afternoon and help her understand the advantages of time to oneself and how to think of close friends like themselves as family. In this way González creates a comforting and familiar ambience even as he deals with an uncomfortable reality. Even so, some readers will find the lack of dramatic tension a drawback, distancing Soledad because she seems so internalized. Others may bristle at the semi-baby talk of the title (both Soledad's nickname and her almost inevitable response to too many situations). These reservations about the text (in both English and Spanish) do not apply to the artwork. Ibarra depicts Soledad's urban environment in warm earth tones and blues, predominantly executed in chalk, and the round faces of Soledad and her friends and neighbors are stylized and child-like without being cartoonish. These strengths, combined with González's insights into the child's mind, create a visually inviting and emotionally encouraging experience, but one that will likely function better as a shared reading between adult and child rather than a child's read-alone. (Picture book. 6-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 1-3. Soledad's parents and aunt are working, so she comes home to an empty apartment every day. One day, as Soledad plays with an imaginary sister, neighboring sisters Nedelsy and Jahniza interrupt her and suggest that they accompany her home. As the three read, listen to music, dance, and draw, Soledad discovers the pleasures of friendship. Nedelsy also points out the positive side of solitude and asks if she can escape to Soledad's "when it's too crazy at my house." The story is told in English and Spanish with occasional Spanish terms inserted into the English telling. Although these words can be understood in context, there is no glossary. Set in Brooklyn's Puerto Rican-American community, the narrative has sparks of fine urban imagery, but the story itself is rather bland. The illustrations follow the text closely and work unobtrusively with the bilingual format. Libraries have livelier, more convincing friendship stories on their shelves, but this may provide bibliotherapy for Latino kids in similar latchkey situations. LindaPerkins.
