Julie Landsman
The stories in this book build on each other beautifully. . . Without sentimentality or melodrama, but rather with the simple power and grace of a fine storyteller, Jimenez is able to convince us of the narrator's authenticity, his good-heartedness, and the good-heartedness of his family. . . This book challenges us as readers, whether eleven or fifty. . . In The Circuit, Jimenez has taken us inside a way of life, in all its sweetness and all its sorrow. It is a valuable book for young people, both for its artistic value and for the issues it illuminates. -- Riverbank Review
MultiCultural Review
. . . [a] moving book . . . The Circuit beautifully captures the rhythms of everyday life and the dreams and aspirations of a migrant family. Jiménez writes credibly in the voice of his young protagonist. Pancho is a compelling and memorable character, at the emotional center of a book that will appeal to both adult and teenage readers.
Booklist
Jiménez's exquisite autobiographical short story ‘The Circuit' is widely anthologized. . . . Like Steinbeck's classic Grapes of Wrath, Jiménez's stories combine stark social realism with heartrending personal drama.
New Mexico Magazine
There are moments of wonder . . . Francisco Jiménez is a master craftsman of words, with a simple yet crystalline style . . . The Circuit speaks intimately of migrant life in the western United States—a life that might be known by its politics or sociology but here is given a human face.
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 3-Wendy Gelsanliter's pleasant album features ten original songs and four adapted traditional songs. The traditional songs include "The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night," "Head and Shoulders," "Missy Mind Your Manners," and "Lazy Bones" (adapted from the spiritual, "Dem Dry Bones"). Among the original tunes are: a song about an "Itty Bitty Kitty in New York City" who clears the streets of rats; "Ants Wear Underpants," about dancing ants; "Lost and Found," about a child lost in a store; an ode to insects called "Butterfly Fly;" and the kidnapping of the alphabet by the outlaw letters "LMNOP." A gentle folk song style is used for most of the songs, with guitars and percussion as the primary background instrumentation. "The Morning Song" has a taste of calypso; "Pajamason" is an upbeat jazz song; and "LMNOP" has a minor country-western tune. Children will enjoy Gelsanliter's pleasant alto voice and singing along with these child-friendly tunes.-Beverly Bixler, San Antonio Public Library, TX Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
From the Publisher
"Readers of this book will gain insight into...the lives of immigrant families." — Book Links
