Celebrating a Quinceanera: A Latina's Fifteenth Birthday Celebration - Hardcover

Hoyt-Goldsmith, Diane

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823416933 ISBN 13: 9780823416936

Publisher: Holiday House, 2002

Synopsis

A quinceanera is more than just a birthday party. For Ariana's Mexican-American family, it is also a rite of passage, a religious occasions, and a celebration of heritage. In this festive photo essay, ten-year-old Ariana enthusiastically helps her cousin Cynthia prepare for this big event. It is a effort that involves not only the extended family but the entire community. There are invitations to be delivered, dresses to be chosen, musicians to be hired, dances to be learned and perfected, favours and food to be made, and even counseling sessions for Ariana's cousin to attend at church. On the day of Cynthia's quinceanera, it is clear that everyone's hard work has paid off as the community comes together for an occasion to be remembered and treasured. In a warm and exuberant tribute, Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith and Lawrence Migdale portray a culture and a celebration that is grounded in faith, rich in traditions, and full of life.

About this title

About the Author

Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith is the art director of Square Moon Productions, a book design and development company. She lives with her husband, son, and daughter in Orinda, California.

Lawrence Migdale takes photographs of children in their own environments. He lives in Orinda, California, with his wife and two sons.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-Cynthia Cuevas is turning 15, which marks a rite of passage for a girl-her quincea-era-the day on which she leaves behind her childhood and becomes a young woman. In this beautifully crafted photo-essay, 10-year-old Ariana helps her cousin prepare for the big day. The eye-catching, full-color photos follow the buildup-from writing and hand delivering invitations, planning a menu, choosing the attendants and dresses, and learning to waltz to the event itself. The clearly written, engaging text conveys both the social and religious significance of the event, including a one-page sidebar on Our Lady of Guadalupe. The sense of celebration and transition are honored both in the text, which includes embedded definitions of the Spanish words used, and in the photographs. Girls will find this a fascinating look at an increasingly popular tradition, more successful pictorially and textually than Elizabeth King's Quincea-era (Dutton, 1998). This exemplary photo-essay concludes with a glossary and an accurate index.
Ann Welton, Grant Elementary School, Tacoma, WA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0823416933
• ISBN 13: 9780823416936
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32