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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
This story is based on Luis Soriana and the impact he makes in his corner of the world: La Gloria, a remote town in northern Colombia. Luis wanted to share books with kids and families who didn't have any in their home and had limited access due to their living in remote villages, so he rounded up two burros and loaded some books on their back in a quest to connect people and books.
What I love about this book is that it presents a different type of library access in a read aloud story supported by vibrant acrylic and pen and ink illustrations. A note following the story gives readers more information about thisamazing man.
Yay for great library reads, especially representing countries outside our own as the experience can often times be quite different than in America. Grades 1-3.
What I love about this book is that it presents a different type of library access in a read aloud story supported by vibrant acrylic and pen and ink illustrations. A note following the story gives readers more information about thisamazing man.
Yay for great library reads, especially representing countries outside our own as the experience can often times be quite different than in America. Grades 1-3.
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
I chose to read this book with the third grade student I work with because the "I Am" biographies were going over his head. I'm not sure how much he enjoyed this book, but he did have a lot to say about the pictures.
There's some good vocabulary in this book that's explained really well in context. It was easy to ask my student about vocabulary in context with this book. There are sentences like "books are scarce. Most people have none." It can be easy to infer what the word "scarce" means from the text. There's a lot of good vocabulary explained in context.
The story is really cute. I liked the vibrant jungle illustrations that show the conditions that Luis and the biblioburro had to go through. It gives a good picture of what life was like with the biblioburro. The pictures also did a good job of illustrating what was happening, and there were many places to pause and ask questions based on the story.
One thing I think could have been explained better was why the biblioburro was needed. It mentions the scarcity of books but doesn't show that. The other children's book on this subject, Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown does a better job of showing the need for the donkey library.
When reading this book with students, there is one page to be wary of. In the middle of the book,there is a man with a gun . My student's first comment was "that's inappropriate." We talked about how sometimes guns showed up in picture books to show hardship. After we read the page, we found out that the man was a robber in the jungle, who tried to attack Luis for money.
I have mixed feelings about this scene. On the one hand, it is important that students learn the hardships of a job like the biblioburro, in the jungle. However, it can be jarring to have to explain this to students mid-book. My student was obsessed with this scene in his retelling of the book, even though it doesn't add much to the story.
Overall, this is a good pick for a beginner biography for younger students who have not experienced them before. It is structured well and the pictures match. Other than that one page, everything aligns with the central message of the story. I just wish it got a little more into the "why" of the story.
There's some good vocabulary in this book that's explained really well in context. It was easy to ask my student about vocabulary in context with this book. There are sentences like "books are scarce. Most people have none." It can be easy to infer what the word "scarce" means from the text. There's a lot of good vocabulary explained in context.
The story is really cute. I liked the vibrant jungle illustrations that show the conditions that Luis and the biblioburro had to go through. It gives a good picture of what life was like with the biblioburro. The pictures also did a good job of illustrating what was happening, and there were many places to pause and ask questions based on the story.
One thing I think could have been explained better was why the biblioburro was needed. It mentions the scarcity of books but doesn't show that. The other children's book on this subject, Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown does a better job of showing the need for the donkey library.
When reading this book with students, there is one page to be wary of. In the middle of the book,
I have mixed feelings about this scene. On the one hand, it is important that students learn the hardships of a job like the biblioburro, in the jungle. However, it can be jarring to have to explain this to students mid-book. My student was obsessed with this scene in his retelling of the book, even though it doesn't add much to the story.
Overall, this is a good pick for a beginner biography for younger students who have not experienced them before. It is structured well and the pictures match. Other than that one page, everything aligns with the central message of the story. I just wish it got a little more into the "why" of the story.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gun violence
hopeful
informative
inspiring
An inspiring story of one man's desire to spread the love of reading in remote areas of Columbia. Based on a true story.
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
inspiring
medium-paced
Another book to inspire young readers. This story can help students get excited about reading. If one man can think so highly about books and spread the joy then surely there is something in books for everyone! I think this would be a good book to read at the beginning of the year, perhaps in first grade, to inspire students to want to read. Letting the students know that it is based on a true story will only motivate them more. Knowing there was actually a man in Colombia bringing books to children from far away can instill a curiosity to find out what's so great about books.
Age: Preschool-Kindergarten
Animal: Donkeys
Country: Colombia
Simplified story based on a real person with illustrations that look cloth-like. Nothing too exciting.
Animal: Donkeys
Country: Colombia
Simplified story based on a real person with illustrations that look cloth-like. Nothing too exciting.