La Coleccionista de Palabras

September 1, 2011

Gr 1-3-Luna is a sprightly young girl who lives in a lighthouse in the sky and collects words of all colors, shapes, and sizes. Her fanciful world changes when she learns that the people living down below have lost many of the beautiful words she so passionately loves. From her hot-air balloon, she decides to sprinkle words of brotherhood and tolerance among the violent and hateful people and words of friendship and compassion among the sad and lonely. By the time her suitcase is empty and she has dispersed all of the positive words, she has helped people realize their magic and power. The text is scattered on the pages like concrete poetry and is at first hard to follow. Fortunately the last pages have the poetic story written out so that readers can go back and absorb it more easily. The illustrations reveal steampunk-type cartoon characters and settings fashioned from rich acrylics. What is most impressive is how the illustrations and text are seamlessly woven together to reinforce the fablelike notion on the power of words. This superior effort is best for one-on-one sharing in order to navigate the scattered text and to fully appreciate the artistry.-Shannon Dye, Children's Services Librarian, Sno-Isle Libraries, Monroe, WA

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