A Gift from Papá Diego / Un regalo de papá Diego - Softcover

Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0938317334 ISBN 13: 9780938317333

Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press, 1998

Synopsis

Sensitively told and true to the experience of many Mexican Americans, this bilingual picture book bridges the borders that separate all families who must live far apart from their loved ones.—Booklist

"...accompanied by innovative illustrations, originally modeled with clay. Reminiscent of Mexican folk art, they fit the story especially well, conveying its warmth and poignancy."—Kirkus Reviews

"A tender love story of a book...a kiss on the forehead at bedtime!"—Naomi Shihab Nye

"A stylist in both poetry and prose, Sáenz has now taken his magic of flight to younger readers. This is his gift to them. Parents, snuggle up to your children at night and read this delightful tale of Dieguito."—Gary Soto

"La traduccíon al español es buena y el diseño del libro es atractivo."—People en Español

"The tender story in A Gift From Papá Diego / Un regalo de Papá Diego by Benjamin Alire Saenz is sprinkled with Spanish expressions throughout the English version, adding to the flavor of this bilingual tale. A glossary of the terms used is provided at the end of the book. In addition, a complete Spanish text is printed on each half page. Illustrations of wonderful clay figures painted with bright colors highlight the narrative and provide an attractive graphic border. This paperback original is a debut into the world of children's books for Mr. Saenz, and he has succeeded in writing a poignant read-aloud book for young children - at once entertaining and comforting."—Barbara Bonds Thomas

Benjamin Alire Sáenz was born in his grandmother’s house in Picacho, New Mexico—a farming village 40 miles north of the border between Mexico and the United States. Ben’s parents spoke mostly Spanish at home and his grandparents spoke only Spanish, so Ben learned much of his English from his brothers and sisters, his friends, and by watching cartoons on television. When he was a little boy, he was a passionate reader of comic books—Superman, Spiderman, Batman, and all the rest of the Super Heros. Ben thought it was cool that Superman could fly. Growing up, Ben discovered that he liked to write. He liked to draw and paint, too.

About this title

From the Publisher

Our good friend Ben Senz first published A Gift from Pap Diego as a Christmas story in the El Paso Times on Christmas Day, 1994. We saw the story in the paper and wondered if Ben would consider making it into a bilingual children's book, with the Spanish and the English side by side on the same page. That way children (and adults) could use Pap Diego to learn a second language. Then, as the three of us talked about it some more, we decided it would be better for Little Diego to get his wonderful gift on his birthday, instead of on Christmas. That way the book would be interesting to kids all through the year and not just at Christmas.

But what kind of pictures should we have and who could we get to illustrate it? We picked Geronimo Garcia, another friend, because El Paso is his home and he understands the border and how it sometimes separates people. Geronimo is an artist and a commercial designer. He came up with some preliminary sketches for A Gift from Pap Diego, but the part of him that is a commercial designer knew that there was something more that he could do with these drawings to make them stand out among all the thousands of children's books that are available. So he decided that instead of drawing his illustrations, he would build the illustrations out of terra cotta clay and paint the sculptures with acrylic paints. Next he had the illustrations photographed. So what you see when you read Pap Diego is really a three-dimensional illustration.

So this book-A Gift from Pap Diego / Un regalo de Pap Diego-is a collaboration among friends, who all live in the wonderful border city of El Paso.

From the Back Cover

A Gift from Pap Diego / Un regalo de Pap Diego is a tender love story of a book, perfect for all relatives who must live at any distance from one another. It's a kiss on the forehead at bedtime! (Naomi Shihab Nye)

A stylist in both poetry and prose, Senz has now taken his magic of flight to younger readers. This is his gift to them. Parents, snuggle up to your children at night and read this delightful tale of Dieguito. (Gary Soto)

About this edition

• Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0938317334
• ISBN 13: 9780938317333
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Geronimo Garcia