Elena's Serenade

Starred review from January 26, 2004
In Geeslin's (On Ramón's Farm
) enchanting story set in Mexico, Elena—whom Juan (Frida
) depicts as a wide-eyed, Botero-like pumpkin of a girl—dreams of being a glassblower like her father. Author and artist set the stage with the first spread: "In Mexico the sun is called el sol
,/ and the moon is called la luna
./ I am called Elena." The opening line suggests that Elena could be a child of the sun and the moon, while opposite, a full-page portrait (which doubles as the cover image) depicts her swinging from the stars. When her father tells her, "Who ever heard of a girl glassblower?" Elena takes one of her father's old glassblowing pipes and runs away to Monterrey, home of Mexico's "great glassblowers." On the way she discovers a special gift: when she blows into the pipe, out waft sweet songs that help a limping roadrunner find its stride and transform a coyote's cacophonous song into a sweet serenade. When Elena finally reaches her destination and twirls the pipe into hot glass, sparkling stars, birds and butterflies burst out. Spunky Elena will inspire young readers as she sets out to follow her passion; her homesickness at journey's end ("Oh, I wish Papa could see what I can do!") keeps the perspective childlike. Juan's lush illustrations in desert tones, textured with scratches and splatters of ink, make the story's fantastical elements soar, especially when Elena flies home on a glass swallow she has made. Sprinkling Spanish words and cadences throughout the text, Geesin fashions a magical-realist fable with a girl-power message. Ages 3-7.

Starred review from March 1, 2004
K-Gr 4-In this story set in Mexico, a young girl longingly watches her papa blow into a pipe to create bottles, and dreams about doing the same. Papa disapproves, with comments about her size and gender. Hurt and angry, Elena takes her brother's advice and, disguised as a boy, begins a journey to Monterrey, home of the great glassblowers. Stopping to rest along the way, she pulls out her pipe to blow and is surprised when a melodious sound emerges. Her beautiful notes give lost and lonely Burro comfort, help hopeless Roadrunner to move faster, and allow shrill-sounding Coyote to make sweet melodies. With newly acquired confidence in her abilities, the girl finally reaches Monterrey. Although the men laugh at her, she closes her eyes and plays "Estrellita" while blowing a star out of glass. Desperate to share her talent with her father, Elena blows out a giant bird and flies home, and Papa soon realizes how special she is. The story flows well and Spanish words are smoothly incorporated into the text. The alluring acrylic-and-crayon illustrations have a stylized folk-art quality that helps to set the stage for the tale. Juan uses striking color combinations and shifting perspective to keep attention focused on the child and her changing emotions. The final images of Elena, complete with smiling face and flowing hair, reveal her blossoming identity along with her talents. A fascinating adventure that explores issues of gender roles, self-confidence, and the workings of an artist's heart.-Tracy Bell, Durham Public Schools, NC

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2004
Gr. 1-3. In this unusual original folktale replete with the flavors of Mexico, Elena, a village girl, longs to be a glassblower like her father. Papa responds with two fateful statements: "You are too little" and "Who ever heard of a girl glassblower?" Off marches Elena to a distant glass factory, "mad as a wet hen" and disguised as a boy. En route, she learns how to play tunes on her glassblowing pipe. Then, during Elena's audition at the factory, miraculous glassware inspired by themes of popular Mexican folk songs (stars, birds, and butterflies) emerges from her pipe instead of ho-hum bottles. Magical realism is clearly a strong inspiration here, although some children will find the plot a bit crowded with fantastical devices. But Juan's exceptional paintings--less outlandishly interpretive than those in Jonah Winter's " Frida "(2002), but just as rich in South-of-the-Border imagery--help anchor the story line, chronicling plucky Elena's triumphs with humor and verve. A Spanish-English glossary precedes the text, although most of the occasional Spanish vocabulary is clear through context.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)