Roses for Isabella

by Diana Cohn, Amy Córdova Boone (Illustrator)

Overview

Stop and smell the roses of Ecuador with Isabella as she learns how treating farmworkers and Mother Earth fairly makes the world bloom! Tambien disponible en español.

Isabella loves to write, especially about the vibrant flowers her parents grow as farmworkers. When her teacher announces a school writing contest in honor of Pachamama, Mother Earth, Isabella decides to write about the rose farms where "pink, red, yellow, and orange roses grow in rows that go on forever."

In sweet poems and journal entries, Isabella notes how her parents feel much better working at a new Fair Trade farm. This new farm takes a lot of steps to keep both farmworkers and the environment safe, like avoiding dangerous pesticides that make people, especially farmworkers, sick. With clear, joyful text by acclaimed author Diana Cohn, and captivating illustrations, Roses for Isabella introduces readers to the cultural traditions of Ecuador and the importance of making choices that support farmworkers and the environment. Award-winning illustrator Amy Córdova Boone presents Isabella's world in artwork as vibrant as her beloved flowers. Join Isabella in this celebration of farmworkers and the beautiful gifts we receive from Mother Earth!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780892394852
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	04/08/2025
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.75(w) x 9.75(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	5 - 10 Years

About the Author

Diana Cohn has worked on environmental, economic, and global justice issues as a teacher and a media activist, and an advisor, a program officer, and an executive director in philanthropic institutions. She is the award-winning author of seven children's books, including ¡Si Se Puede! / Yes We Can! Janitor Strike in L.A., The Bee Tree, and Crane Boy, all published by Cinco Puntos Press/Lee & Low Books. She lives with her husband on a houseboat in Northern California.

Amy Córdova Boone is an artist, an arts educator, a conference presenter/lecturer, and a nationally recognized children's book illustrator and author. Córdova Boone has received the prestigious Pura Belpré Award Honor twice, as well as other national recognition for her vibrant art. Her delicious, saturated, colorful paintings are found in museums and private collections throughout the US and Europe. She lives in Oaxaca, México. Visit her at amycordova.com.

Editorial Reviews

"The strength of award-winning Córdova's illustrations is in her use of vivid, beautiful colors and expression... Exposing children to this kind of book encourages a global awareness that can only serve them as they grow up in a world where issues such as Fair Trade become increasingly important." — Foreword Reviews

"Colorful folk-art—style drawings in marker and gouache add an authenticity to this South American tale... celebrating the benefits of fair trade and environmental consciousness." — Kirkus Reviews

"Isabella, through the conceit of a school writing project, teaches readers about her Ecuadorian parents' fight against pesticides and for fair-trade status for their rose farm... Córdova's fluid, vibrant-hued paintings enliven the presentation." — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

PreS-Gr 2—Set in a small village in Ecuador, this story is about Isabella, the first writer in her family. Her teacher asks her students to write stories honoring Pachamama, Mother Earth, explaining that the best one will be read aloud at an assembly. When she suggests that the children visit the places they write about, Isabella decides on the rose farm where her parents currently work. The previous farm used chemicals that made her mother sick, and when her father complained, they were fired. Now they work on a farm that does not use chemicals. When the time comes to honor Pachamama for food and life, everyone celebrates and Isabella reads her poem to the audience. Then one day her parents surprise her with a trip to the farm, where she sees her poem inscribed above its entrance. Isabella is presented with a large bouquet of roses, the color of the sunrise. The message, promoting the Fair Trade Organization, is obvious, although the story does hold interest. The design and layout consist of a bright, colorful, and realistic illustration opposite a page of text. Attractive graphic borders highlight the text pages and convey a sense of unity.—Margaret R. Tassia, Millersville University, PA

School Library Journal

Isabella, an aspiring writer and daughter of rose-farm workers in Ecuador, relates the story of her family's livelihood.

Isabella is very excited because her school will be commemorating "Pachamama" (Mother Earth) with a special assembly that will include original stories and poems. The students begin their assignment, and the teacher is impressed with Isabella's introduction about Ecuador's continual sunshine, which helps the flowers grow so well. Isabella then recounts a time when her parents worked in a rose farm that used insecticides that caused illness and strong headaches, especially for her mother. Healthier and happier days occurred when her parents began work in a new rose farm that practices fair trade and grows roses organically. Isabella's writing continues with basic section headings to explain the concept of fair trade, how the roses are sold around the world and why celebrating Ecuador's Pachamama is important. Her composition parallels her overall narration that's distinguished by a standard typeface opposite the child-oriented look of her written story. Colorful folk-art–style drawings in marker and gouache add an authenticity to this South American tale. Unfortunately, the important message about environmental concerns and equitable working conditions dominates, leaving little story for children to latch onto.

A concluding free-verse poem celebrating the benefits of fair trade and environmental consciousness will resonate more with readers than the mostly instructive text. (afterword) (Picture book.6-9)

Kirkus Reviews