Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora

Bibliography 
Mora, Pat.  1997. Tomás and the library lady. Ill. by Raúl Colón. New York: Knopf. ISBN 0679804013


Plot Summary
Tomás is a young boy from Texas who travels with his family as migrant workers.  One day Tomás' grandfather encourages him to go to the local public library in the small town in Iowa where they were working so that he could get his fill of books and stories to share with the family.  When Tomás arrives at the library, he is greeted by a kind librarian who introduces him to many different books that provide him with an escape to magical lands and adventures.  Tomás shares these wonderful stories with his family and when it is time to return to Texas, he leaves Iowa with a new found love of libraries and books that will stay with him into adulthood.

Critical Analysis 
Tomás and the Library Lady does a great job of showing young readers of all ages and backgrounds just how beneficial reading can be to their lives.  Tomás uses reading in the library to escape from the sadness he feels about missing his home in Texas.  On top of this, we see a positive look into the life of a migrant family.  Tomás and his family are kind and hard working people who encourage his interest in learning.  Pat Mora uses a blend of Spanish and English phrases that will stick with readers as they grow up in a world where Spanish language is becoming more and more prominent.

 Raúl Colón illustrates the story in a way that nicely compliments the text.  The illustrations use warm earth tones and textures that match well with the Iowa farm land setting of the story.  The pictures add to the story when Tomás is in the library by depicting what he is reading about in the stories.  When Tomás is reading about dinosaurs, we see a picture of what he is imagining in the story.

This book would be great to share with children of all backgrounds because it would introduce some readers to the life of migrant families and it would give other young readers a character to identify with.  It also does much to promote libraries and reading.

Awards

• Winner of the 1997 Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award
•  1998 Teachers' Choices Award from the International Reading Association
• 1999-2000, Texas Bluebonnet Master List Title

Connections

*Take time to introduce readers to the real Tomás Rivera by talking about his life as Chancellor at the University of California and the road he took to get there.

*Create Spanish/English flash cards using useful, every day words as well as words the readers themselves would like to learn.