1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mora, Pat. 1997. TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY. Ill. by Raul Colon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 0679804013.
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Tomas is tired and thirsty. In Tomas and the Library Lady, the main character’s family is travelling from Texas to Iowa for summer work as his mother and father are migrant farmers. Tomas cares for his younger brother while his parents work and serves water to the workers. He listens to stories at his grandfather’s knee; he is a boy who loves and honors his family. That love is clearly returned when “Papa Grande” recognizes that Tomas has learned all of the stories he has and directs him to the library to find stories to bring home. After hesitating outside, Tomas is greeted by the Library Lady who invites him in for a glass of water. Tomas and the Library Lady begin a summer of friendship and sharing.
While the Library Lady feeds Tomas’ inquisitive nature with books that draw him into the story, she first cares for his physical needs…each day she provides him with a glass of water. Tomas wishes he had a glass of water to quench his thirst early in the book, but as this engrossing story evolves, the older reader will understand his thirst is for much more than a drink. Each visit to the library allows him to take great adventures through books that he then shares with his family. He even teaches the Library Lady some Spanish over the summer.
When his family returns to Texas at the end of the summer, Tomas leaves a simple gift of food for the Library Lady while she sends him with a brand new book. Throughout the story the reader sees characters sharing culture with respect, and they are able to see the impact of books on a simple son of struggling parents. Tomas is shown as the story begins as tired and thirsty; as he leaves us he has found a renewed spirit and a way to quench some of his needs.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Through softened lines and muted, earthy colors Colon illustrates Mora’s story reflecting the clear respect of Tomas’ family for one another and of their love. The subtle looks of the mother over her shoulder even as she is picking corn to see her boys playing is accurately portrayed and conveys her love in her eyes. Tomas and Enrique, his brother, sitting at the feet of their grandfather to hear him tell stories is a beautifully picture brought to life by the illustration paired with the words.
The lovely artwork of the book allows the reader to feel the enthusiasm Tomas has for the books he is discovering. We see him placing himself in the stories and having great adventures as the book come alive to him. We also are taken into the reality of his day as a member of a struggling family. The images of the family combing through a junkyard to find scraps to sell counters those of the imagined adventures he has during his reading. The illustration of him selecting books from the junk heap to use is countered as he receives a brand new book as he leaves Iowa.
Perhaps the most lasting picture in the book is that of Tomas hugging his new book and the paired line about him preparing for a “bumpy road ” (last page). His life was not magically transformed by his time with the Library Lady, but he found a new way to handle it and to strive for greater things.
4. AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
Americas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, the Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award, and the International Reading Association Teachers’ Choices Award (www.patmora.com)
From Smithsonian: "powerful story"
From About.com: “Raul Colón's illustrations beautifully portray not only the warmth of summer and family love, but also the great leaps of imagination that Tomás enjoys when he is reading the library books.” (by Elizabeth Kennedy)
From Amazon.com: “wonderfully illustrated tale of Tomás Rivera and the kind librarian who helped him learn to love books”.
5. CONNECTIONS
*collect and share other Mora books
*use great resources on www.patmora.com
*use the book in connection with El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros (held each year in April)
*bake pan dulce for the children to share
*learn key words from the book in Spanish (Iowa, Texas, water, farmer, library, brother, mother, father, grandfather, lady, etc.)
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