the first day el primer día
of the week is de la semana fue
dedicated to the Sun? dedicado al Sol?
with family around con familia alrededor
it's always sunny siempre hace sol
on Sunday el domingo
So begins this bilingual collection of poems that takes us through the week day by day. Children spend Sunday visiting their grandparents, play with school friends on Monday, daydream on Tuesday, eat popcorn at the local market on Wednesday, and more, until we arrive at Saturday, when they get to play nonstop all day. Along the way, we also learn how the names of the seven days came to be.
Partly based on the real life experiences of Alarcón's own family, this festive, celebratory collection of poems highlights the daily life of children while also honoring the experiences of the poet's Latino family in the United States. With her vibrant illustrations, illustrator Maya Christina Gonzalez has created a loving tribute to childhood, to family, and to Francisco Alarcón.
FRANCISCO X. ALARCÓN was a renowned poet and educator and a three—time winner of a Pura Belpré Author Award Honor for his bilingual Cycle of the Seasons series of poetry for children. His many other honors include the American Book Award, the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award, the Chicano Literary Prize, and finalist for state poet laureate of California. Alarcón was also the author of several poetry collections for adults and textbooks for teaching Spanish. He passed away in January 2016.
MAYA CHRISTINA GONZALEZ is an acclaimed fine artist, educator, and illustrator of children's books, and collaborator with Alarcón on most of his children's poetry books. Gonzalez's numerous books featuring Latino characters have received recognition from the Pura Belpré Award, Américas Award, Notable Books for a Global Society, International Latino Books Awards, and more. She lives in San Francisco, California, with her two daughters and her husband.
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