Alma y cómo obtuvo su nombre

PreS-Gr 2-It's said there's a story behind every name and Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela is surely a moniker worthy of six tales. After complaining that her name is so long that it "never fits," Alma's father shares stories with the girl about the people she's been named after, including a book lover, an artist, and a deeply spiritual woman, among others. Martinez-Neal, the recipient of the 2018 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award for La Princesa and the Pea , works in print transfers with graphite and colored pencils for these images, limiting her palette to black, charcoal gray, and blushes of color. The round, stylized figure of the girl, dressed in pink striped pants and a white shirt, pops against the sepia pages (reminiscent of old, family photo albums). As Alma's namesakes emerge from the shadows when they are introduced, they and their distinguishing items (books, plants, paintbrushes, etc.) are highlighted in a pale, gray-blue. The softly colored images and curvilinear shapes that embrace the figures evoke a sense of warmth and affection. At the story's end, the only tale readers have not heard is Alma's. "You will make your own story," states her father. VERDICT A beautifully illustrated, tender story to be shared with all children, sure to evoke conversations about their names.-Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Alma Sofia Esperanza Jos Pura Candela feels self-conscious about her long name until her father tells her about the family members after whom she is named. Use of the past tense indicates that her grandparents, a great-aunt, and a great-grandparent are deceased, but they are very much alive in Alma, who delightedly proclaims the ways in which she is like them as her father recounts their accomplishments and attributes. Straightforward text describes one ancestor who was especially spiritual and another who was an activist, one who loved books and flowers, and another who longed to travel. Throughout, grayscale print transfer illustrations have a soft visual texture, and subtle colored-pencil highlights in pinks and blues enliven each spread. The pictures end up stealing the show in their depiction of the sweet closeness between Alma and her father. They also convey a subtle, supernatural connection between Alma and her ancestors, whose images in the family photos make eye contact with her outside of her fathers awareness. Details in the illustrations also point toward specificity of the familys Peruvian heritage. An authors note reveals the story of Martinez-Neals own full name, asking readers, What is the story of your name? What story would you like to tell? Concurrently published in Spanish as Alma y cmo obtuvo su nombre. megan dowd lambert (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.