This is just a lovely book about family and Christmas. It is a book to savor repeatedly. Pablo and his family are poor in earthly things but rich in love. The love in this book is palpable. In this story of a Mexican family the feelings of fear and courage, loneliness and joy, disappointment and relief are juxtaposed throughout. Young Pablo suddenly becomes the man of the family when his father leaves for America to find work. But father leaves with a promise. Before the promise is fulfilled Pedro has many lessons to learn and many are not easy. I find myself wanting to read this book aloud with a classroom of students. I want us to feel the pathos, to get to know the family, to admire Pedro, to change ourselves as a result of reading together. The book is so simple but so full of meaning that I would reread the book several times. The book is dedicated to all Mexican’s who are far from home. For this reason, I believe it is an important book to have in classrooms so the Mexican children have a mirror to see themselves. This book celebrates so much about being Mexican.
The author is a first generation American whose family immigrated from Mexico in the 1960s. The book is dedicated to his parents, whose courage inspired the story. I believe this may be his only children’s book so there is not much about him that will be important to students. They may find it interesting that he is a journalist whose job is to visit and write about theme parks, the outdoors, and travel. What student wouldn’t perk up with knowing a person can have a real job visiting and writing about theme parks all over the world.
Pathways Themes: Friends & Family
Reviewed by Krystal Bishop, EdD
Professor of Education
Southern Adventist University
Author: James Emery White
