La Frontera El Viaje Con Papa: My Journey with Papa (Bilingual English/Spanish)

Drawn from coauthor Alva's own immigration as a child, this bilingual picture book pairs Spanish and English text on each richly colored spread. In the Mexican state of Guanajuato, Alfredo learns that he will leave behind his mother and siblings and travel with his father to the U.S. to "find a place where work will be plentiful." The trip is perilous; after they're abandoned by a guide, they find their way across the dangerous landscape to Texas, where, after a stay in the so-called Embassy, a collection of discarded vehicles, they resettle, ultimately reuniting with their whole family. Precise details create a deeply moving sense of a young immigrant's journey, from the drinking water dropped along the tracks by train crews to a new school, where Alfredo always brings a $100 bill in case he's picked up and returned to the border. With bright, saturated colors and expressive figures, the illustrations echo both the story's drama and tenderness. Appended final spreads feature photos of Alva's real-life family along with additional notes about the Texas-Mexican border and immigration. Ages 8-12. (May)

Gr 2-5--Alva, along with coauthor Mills, narrates his experiences as a young child crossing the Mexican and U.S. border with his father. Their journey is prompted by financial needs that force Alva and his father to sadly leave behind the rest of the family and travel north with the help of a coyote, a smuggler of people. At the Rio Grande, the coyote takes their money and abandons them. Together, the father and son find their own way to the embassy. After floating across the river, climbing a mountain, and trudging across a giant valley, they arrive at their destination only to discover that the embassy is nothing more than a broken-down campsite inhabited by other refugees. After a few short weeks, Alva is off to school in Texas, alone and scared. Learning a different language is confusing, but with the help of new friends, he learns English while helping them with their math. Alva and Mills make this bilingual autobiographical story readily accessible through well-written and vivid text. Though lengthy, the narrative never feels overwritten. Navarro's expressive acrylic, graphite, and digital collage illustrations provide a poignant and moving backdrop for this compelling first-person narrative. Back matter includes information on immigration, a history of the U.S. and Mexican border, and photos of Alva's family and hometown. VERDICT An authentic and humanizing perspective on immigration; a must-have for classrooms, libraries, and bilingual collections.--Mary Margaret Mercado, Pima County Public Library, Tucson, AZ