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
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
Isla was not only a wonderful story about a girl and her family, but also an informative story on the Spanish culture. One thing I really liked and found helpful in this book was the translations. It used basic Spanish words such as abuela, isla, magica,etc. After the Spanish Words were said, the girl indirectly explained what they meant. In the back of the book there was also a glossary with all the Spanish words that were used and their English meaning. This would be a great book for ELL's show more with Spanish being their native language or students who are learning to speak Spanish. The pictures were also very helpful and descriptive. The content of the book was very lovable. Rosalba is listening to a story told by her abuela (grandmother). As her abuela is telling the story, Rosabla imagines that they are flying to her abuleas island where the story takes place. On the island they do many fun things together, like go to the beach and see many different types of fish. They fly to the rain forest to see the trees that make an umbrella over all the birds, frogs and lizards that live there. I like that this book shows a little about the region that some Spanish speakers may live in. Students can infer that some places Spanish speakers live in are very warm and tropical. They can also infer that family is very valuable to everyone. 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
A young boy and his abuelo, or grandfather, have many wonderful adventures together riding the Argentine Pampas. The boy learns strength and self confidence from his laughing abuelo. Then disaster strikes, and the boy learns that he and his parents are moving away to the city. His abuelo assures him that they will stay in touch, and visit often, and sure enough, the boy finds that his abuelo is always with him...
A lovely picture-book that was apparently inspired by the childhood experiences show more of a friend of author Arthur Dorros, Abuelo would make an excellent companion to Dorros' better-known Abuela, which addresses the bond between grandmother and granddaughter. The text is simple but effective, using words and phrases in Spanish that are then explained and/or translated into English during the course of the story. The artwork, done by illustrator Raúl Colón in watercolor and pencil, is absolutely lovely, capturing the loving bond between boy and grandfather, and the excitement of their many adventures. Recommended to anyone looking for good grandfather/grandson stories, particularly those featuring a Latin American cultural background. show less
A lovely picture-book that was apparently inspired by the childhood experiences show more of a friend of author Arthur Dorros, Abuelo would make an excellent companion to Dorros' better-known Abuela, which addresses the bond between grandmother and granddaughter. The text is simple but effective, using words and phrases in Spanish that are then explained and/or translated into English during the course of the story. The artwork, done by illustrator Raúl Colón in watercolor and pencil, is absolutely lovely, capturing the loving bond between boy and grandfather, and the excitement of their many adventures. Recommended to anyone looking for good grandfather/grandson stories, particularly those featuring a Latin American cultural background. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 40
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 11,587
- Popularity
- #2,026
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 304
- ISBNs
- 195
- Languages
- 4
- Favorited
- 2
