Arthur Dorros
Author of Abuela
About the Author
Arthur Dorros, an author and occasional illustrator, was born in Washington, D.C. on May 19, 1950. He attended and graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a B.A. degree in 1972. He received his postgraduate teaching certification from Pacific Oaks College in 1979. He has worked odd jobs in show more his youth such as: builder, carpenter, drafter and photographer. He was a teacher for both elementary and junior high. He was the artist in residence for more than a dozen New York public schools while running programs in creative writing and bookmaking. Some of his children's books are written in both English and Spanish. He also writes books that deal with science and nature. Ant Cities and Feel the Wind were named Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children by the National Science Teachers Association/Children's Book Council and A Tree is Growing was named an Orbis Pictus Honor Book. He has received the Reading Rainbow Review book selections award for three of his books - Alligator Shoes, Ant Cities and Abuela. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Arthur Dorros
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1950-05-19
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Wisconsin (BA)
Pacific Oaks College (teaching certificate) - Occupations
- children's book author
children's book illustrator
carpenter
cook
draftsman
photographer (show all 7)
teacher - Organizations
- Authors Guild
Authors League of America
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators - Short biography
- [from Encyclopedia.com]
Writer and illustrator, 1979—. Worked variously as a builder, carpenter, drafter, photographer, horticultural worker, and dockhand; teacher in elementary and junior high schools and adult education programs in Seattle, WA, and New York, NY, for six years; artist in residence for more than a dozen New York City public schools, running programs in creative writing, bookmaking, and video; University of Washington, Seattle, WA, former teacher of courses on writing in the classroom; consultant in libraries and schools; director of Children's Writing Workshop, presenting seminars and workshops on writing to students, teachers, and administrators in schools, libraries, and at conferences internationally. - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Washington, D.C., USA
- Places of residence
- Seattle, Washington, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
In this lovely classic, the little girl Rosalba imagines taking a flight with her grandmother (abuela) over the city of Manhattan. Each site they see inspires a memory from Abuela, and so conveys something about the grandmother’s culture. Since Abuela speaks mostly Spanish, the little girl translates. While overhead, they see colorful scenes loaded with people, dogs, food, stores, famous buildings, cars, apartment houses, and activities. The pictures, mixed-media collages done with a show more folkloric look and stressing the multicultural nature of the city, are vibrant and packed with things to identify.
I also checked an all-Spanish edition of this book, and had no trouble discerning what was going on just from Elisa Kleven's illustrations. I can see children spending hours of delight searching through all the details in the pictures. Both the Spanish and English editions include words and phrases in the other language along with definitions, woven seamlessly into the very cute story. show less
I also checked an all-Spanish edition of this book, and had no trouble discerning what was going on just from Elisa Kleven's illustrations. I can see children spending hours of delight searching through all the details in the pictures. Both the Spanish and English editions include words and phrases in the other language along with definitions, woven seamlessly into the very cute story. show less
I thought this was a great book because of the combination of pictures, language, and overall message of the story. Abuela is about a girl who loves to take adventures with her spanish Grandma, and day dreams that the two of them could fly around the world, to and from her Abuela's Spanish homeland.
The pictures are full of detail and different colors. Each picture is carefully drawn uniquely. The pictures represent the scenes described in the text. There is so much detailing to the show more pictures they make the scenes more realistic and relatable. On a page where the main character imagines her and her Abuela flying over cities, the picture shows hundreds of windows and people with all different designs on the buildings, clothing, and streets. For a child, these pictures help grasp their attention and make the reading more enjoyable.
The language and writing is descriptive. I liked how the writing included spanish words that were defined in the glossary in the back, but also defined within the context. An example would be when she imagines them gliding over the sea and her Abuela says, "Cerca del mar." She explains that her and her Abuela almost touch the tops of waves, because "Cerca del mar" meant "close to sea," in Spanish. Another aspect of the writing I liked was how imaginative it was. It included phrases that made you paint a picture in your head such as "What if they picked me up and carried me high above the park?" and "What if I could fly?" I thought this was a great addition to the text for children because it helps them create a picture in their head while they're reading.
Lastly, the overall message and content was important. This girl in the story had a Grandma who came from a different country, but shared some parts of her culture. The story helps students have a different perspective on different cultures, and explains that it's okay to come from a family of a different background.Throughout the story, the main character embraces her Abuela's background and describes it proudly. When she is imagining them flying over cities, she describes that people unload food from ships from "the land abuela grew up- mangos, bananas, papayas." She is proud to know her Abuela's past. This story can also be relatable to any child who is with a relative and imagines a fantasy situation. show less
The pictures are full of detail and different colors. Each picture is carefully drawn uniquely. The pictures represent the scenes described in the text. There is so much detailing to the show more pictures they make the scenes more realistic and relatable. On a page where the main character imagines her and her Abuela flying over cities, the picture shows hundreds of windows and people with all different designs on the buildings, clothing, and streets. For a child, these pictures help grasp their attention and make the reading more enjoyable.
The language and writing is descriptive. I liked how the writing included spanish words that were defined in the glossary in the back, but also defined within the context. An example would be when she imagines them gliding over the sea and her Abuela says, "Cerca del mar." She explains that her and her Abuela almost touch the tops of waves, because "Cerca del mar" meant "close to sea," in Spanish. Another aspect of the writing I liked was how imaginative it was. It included phrases that made you paint a picture in your head such as "What if they picked me up and carried me high above the park?" and "What if I could fly?" I thought this was a great addition to the text for children because it helps them create a picture in their head while they're reading.
Lastly, the overall message and content was important. This girl in the story had a Grandma who came from a different country, but shared some parts of her culture. The story helps students have a different perspective on different cultures, and explains that it's okay to come from a family of a different background.Throughout the story, the main character embraces her Abuela's background and describes it proudly. When she is imagining them flying over cities, she describes that people unload food from ships from "the land abuela grew up- mangos, bananas, papayas." She is proud to know her Abuela's past. This story can also be relatable to any child who is with a relative and imagines a fantasy situation. show less
The day begins with a golden beam of light from the sun coming through the bedroom window. The narrator and his Papa are singing together in the morning as the cook breakfast. There are beautiful vibrant colors on each page to emphasize the feelings of love felt between the narrator and his Papa. The father is always shown in a Goliath-like perspective, filling entire pages and looming over his son.The bright colors add to the idea of the loving relationship between the narrator and his Papa show more and how happy they are. The lack of any other people and how the father and son almost melt together gives the impression of how they are in their own world, in a way, and emphasizes just how important they are to one another. The illustrations, though full of bright colors and twisting shapes and distorted images adds a complexity, similar to how complex the feeling of love can be. In this case it is being shown between a father and son. The final illustration of the narrator and his Papa visiting his grandparents' house and the family hug concludes the story with a feeling of love for one another. show less
A young boy narrates this gentle tale of his activities with his Papá. Although they are different in some ways - the boy is bilingual, while his father only speaks Spanish; the boy loves pancakes and his father eggs; the boy likes to splash in puddles and his father does not - they share the most important thing of all: love...
Arthur Dorros' text in Papá and Me is less of a story than it is a slice of life depiction of a boy and his father. That said, it is full of a sense of warmth and show more family love. The accompanying artwork by Rudy Gutierrez, although not really to my taste, is colorful and full of energy, capturing the boy's exuberance and his father's careful guardianship. Gutierrez was awarded a Pura Belpré Honor for his illustrations. Recommended to anyone looking for engaging father-son picture-books, as well as readers interested in children's stories featuring Latino and/or Spanish-speaking families. show less
Arthur Dorros' text in Papá and Me is less of a story than it is a slice of life depiction of a boy and his father. That said, it is full of a sense of warmth and show more family love. The accompanying artwork by Rudy Gutierrez, although not really to my taste, is colorful and full of energy, capturing the boy's exuberance and his father's careful guardianship. Gutierrez was awarded a Pura Belpré Honor for his illustrations. Recommended to anyone looking for engaging father-son picture-books, as well as readers interested in children's stories featuring Latino and/or Spanish-speaking families. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 40
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 11,656
- Popularity
- #2,019
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 305
- ISBNs
- 195
- Languages
- 4
- Favorited
- 2
