Review by Booklist Review
Set in Villa Nueva, Honduras, this story reveals a bookmobile's power to bring joy to an area that knows too much sadness. The main character, Luis, seeks to lift the cloudlike gloom with happy stories, many of which he finds during Monday visits from the bookmobile, which brings both books and performances. As inspiring stories are shared, spiraling rainbows flow forth, bringing bright colors back to the blue-toned landscape. Luis and his classmates then spread the colors further as they return to town and share the happy stories with friends and family. Based on the coauthors' work with the JustWorld International's bookmobile program in Tegucigalpa, this rosy tale may align more with the organization's mission than a child's genuine point of view, but it is inspiring nonetheless. The translation is clunky at times, but the evocative artwork by South American illustrators Faría (Venezuelan) and Tabora (Brazilian) more than makes up for it. Back matter offers additional information about the bookmobile program. A natural companion read for Monica Brown's Waiting for the Biblioburro (2011).
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--4--Every Monday, a young boy named Luis awaits the bookmobile's arrival in his village of Villa Nuevea, Honduras. His village, like most of the country, is filled with sad stories. But the bookmobile brings happiness that Luis can share with his family and neighbors. Perhaps to keep the story light, the dark struggles of Honduran life--hunger, poverty, violence--are only vaguely alluded to. The same vagueness, unfortunately, translates to the happy parts as well. The bookmobile driver and his volunteer do a puppet show with undescribed puppets. Luis reads an unnamed book. The people are served a snack, but readers are not told what the food is. Luis writes a story of his own but shares no details. One specific detail is under-explained: the presumably made-up word chochororochochochó that is used three times. It appears to be the bookmobile driver's word for story time, but the confusing presentation leaves the word's actual meaning unclear. Illustrations provide no additional details. The backgrounds, especially the town at night, are striking. However, some of the human characters' facial expressions, poses, and perspectives are awkwardly drawn. Feelings of happiness derived from the bookmobile are represented by swirling multicolor, Impressionist flourishes, which sometimes clash with the realistic depiction of people and environments. Back matter gives a brief overview of the real-life inspiration for the story, as well as information about the global charity that supports the bookmobile's efforts. The director of this mobile library project is a co-author. VERDICT While the real-life efforts are noble, this book is not recommended for purchase.--Chance Lee Joyner
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this tale translated from Spanish, visits from a bookmobile transform a Honduran neighborhood. Villa Nueva is a place where "happy stories mix with sad ones." Young Luis likes to lift his family's spirits by sharing happy ones. On Mondays, the bookmobile's arrival at school gives him the chance to replenish his well. Read-alouds, puppet shows, and the books the children choose for silent reading enable Luis and his classmates to "carry a glimmer of happiness back to their homes." Backmatter explains that the story is inspired by the work of JustWorld International, a nonprofit that partners with the local organization Asociación Compartir. Co-author Rodríguez, a writer, educator, and musician from Trojes, El Paraíso, Honduras, who appears in the book, works with the real-life bookmobile. Though the community is initially described as a blend of happy and sad tales, it's visually depicted as a depressing place where everyone looks downcast. Monochromatic blues and grays dominate, and rich hues appear only when Luis tells a story and when the bookmobile arrives, suggesting less the uplifting potential of a good story than that these people's lives would be pure misery if it weren't for the help of people outside the community. While the art is lush and textured and the story engaging, they can't make up for this flattening portrayal. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An attempt at conveying the power of story, dampened by a simplistic depiction of a Latine community. (Picture book. 5-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
