The Upside Down Boy / El niño de cabeza

by Juan Felipe Herrera, Elizabeth Gomez (Illustrator)

Overview

Bilingual English/Spanish. The Upside Down Boy is award-winning poet Juan Felipe Herrera's engaging memoir of the year his migrant family settled down so that he could go to school for the first time.

Juanito is bewildered by the new school, and he misses the warmth of country life. Everything he does feels upside down. He eats lunch when it's recess; he goes out to play when it's time for lunch; and his tongue feels like a rock when he tries to speak English. But a sensitive teacher and loving family help him to find his voice and make a place for himself in this new world through poetry, art, and music.

Juan Felipe Herrera's playful language and the colorful, magical art of Elizabeth Gómez capture the universal experience of children entering a new school feeling like strangers in a world that seems upside down-at first.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780892392179
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	04/01/2013
Series:	Rise and Shine
Edition description:	Bilingual Edition
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	518,628
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 9.75(h) x 0.14(d)
Language:	Spanish
Lexile:	AD450L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Juan Herrera is an acclaimed poet and children's book author. His first children's book, Calling the Doves, won the prestigious Ezra Jack Keats Award, and another book, The Upside Down Boy, was made into a musical for young audiences in 2004. He teaches at California State University, Fresno.

Elizabeth Gómez is an internationally exhibited painter, widely acclaimed for her brilliant use of color and fantastical imagery. Her artwork for The Upside Down Boy by Juan Felipe Herrera was praised for its "delightful humor" and "colorful metaphor." A native of Mexico City, she now lives in Redwood City, California, with her husband and children.

Editorial Reviews

"The Upside Down Boy is more than good—it's excellent. It is. . . a celebration of family, and of the importance of a frank dialogue between parents and children. [Elizabeth Gómez]'s multicolored, fantastical pictures, with their vibrant colors and echoes of Marc Chagall. . . enrich the text with all kinds of humorous details." — Newsweek en Español

"Juan Felipe Herrera's story—the product of stream of consciousness recollections from his third grade experience—makes for a warm and vivid children's book. . . Elizabeth Gómez illustrates with an equal flair for colorful metaphor." — The Bloomsbury Review

Texas Bluebonnet Award Shortlist - Texas Library Association (TLA)

From the Publisher

Gr 2-5-In rhythmic, flowing language, Herrera uses startlingly apt images to tell the story of a young Hispanic boy's adjustment to an Anglo school. Juanito is worried about entering a new school, afraid that his tongue will "turn into a rock." Indeed, on the first day, this is what happens. He feels frightened, shy, and "de cabeza," upside down. Fortunately, his teacher recognizes his musical and verbal abilities, and with her encouragement and the support of his family, Juanito not only fits in, but shines. Based on Herrera's own experiences in third grade, this positive look at the process of adjustment is beautifully complemented by Gomez's brilliantly colored, primitive acrylic illustrations.

School Library Journal