In My Family

I enjoyed reading In My Family by Carmen Lomas Garza because the book reflects of her own experiences as a child which I can also relate to. The book is culturally diverse being written in both English and Spanish. The book is written in first person and Garza reflects on some of her favorite memories as a child that have shaped the woman she is today. Some of the memories she mentions are memories that I too have shared with my loved ones. She mentions the barbecue and how her grandparents teach her to dance. I remember the first time that my Abuela taught me how to dance and standing on my Abuelo’s feet as we danced around the room. Garza talks about making empanadas in the kitchen with her family once a year and how the delicious show more smell takes over the room. I too have enjoyed weekends at home with my grandparents eating empanadas and drinking Colombian soda while we catch up on recent events. I loved how with each story Garza has an illustration and she points out to the readers where she is in each illustration. For example in the garden scene she points out how she is wearing the blue dress. This makes readers take the time to search for where she is in each picture. Most importantly I loved the message shared in the book be proud of where you come from and don’t be afraid to be yourself. show less

I liked this book for two reasons. First, I liked how the writing in the book really celebrates Mexican culture. Each page tells a little bit about the author's family customs while incorporating bilingual text. The author integrates Spanish vocabulary into the English text too. For example, the author wrote "He's shaving off the thorns from freshly-cut cactus pads, called nopalitas." This is a great book for ESL students. Since the book is both in English and Spanish, it can help Spanish speaking children out with English words having hem both on the page. It also teaches children a lot about Hispanic culture and vocabulary. It explains different parts of their culture in a way that is easy for children to understand. The big picture show more in the book is celebrating and learning about Latino culture. I also liked how the book pushes readers to consider different cultures and traditions. For example, the author talks about when her father had an ear ache. To heal him, the mother rolled up news paper, set it on fire and placed it in her fathers ear. All families have different traditions, customs, and habits. Its important for children to learn and open their minds to different cultural/ ethic perspectives. show less

I enjoyed this book because it was very different than other books I've read in the sense that the writer was more focused on the art in the book. The language was very clear because on each page, she described each piece of artwork that she created. Each piece of artwork was clearly explained, by giving a description of the specific memory/tradition that the painting was based off of. The illustrations were extremely engaging in the book because the writing was describing why the artwork was created. The book focused mainly on the artwork. I also like that the book was multilingual. It described the artwork in English and then described it in Spanish below. The author brought her culture into the book not only through artwork, but show more through her language. show less

In My Family / En Mi Familia written by Carmen Lomas Garza is a story that shows her hometown and traditions through the use of various artworks and paintings. Carmen is Mexican American and she describes how it was growing up and the different things she did growing up with her family. What I enjoyed about this book is that this book is both in English and in Spanish, and this would help an ELL student. This book would work great as a way to show students different cultures and customs of the different families, and students who may come from the same background would feel very included when reading this. This could work great in a middle school classroom where students are asked to compare their customs where they would find any show more similarities or differences. I enjoyed all the artwork the story had and I would recommend it to others! show less

The author talks about her rich Mexican Culture. She is proud of who she is and where she comes from. She wants the reader to embrace who they are, as there is no point in trying to be something they are not. As well as to make society realize that they too need to be tolerant of others who are different than themselves, as they may never know or be aware of what kinds of struggles they are already dealing with. A great book I can personally relate to.

I loved this book! This book would be perfect for a bilingual student, or a lesson plan involving multiple languages. This story is about living in a Mexican American community in Texas. I think the fact that this book has the text in English at the top, and the text in Spanish at the bottom of each page can really benefit a ELL student. If a teacher is struggling teaching the student English, it may be helpful to connect different words and show connections in the story to the student. For example, instead of saying cactus pad, the author directly says Nopalitos, even in the English section. So, the student can learn from translating the text or using the pictures as help. In addition, I think that the author did a really good job with show more developing the text and going beyond teaching the reader about her family. For example, on one of the first pages the author describes what horned toads look like and how she often stayed away from fire ants because "they can really sting." I think this is interesting because the student is engaging in a bilingual book, but also learning about different plants and animals they may or may not come into contact with. The message of this story is to appreciate your culture and heritage no matter your surrounding. show less

This book is an awesome way to compare and contrast Mexican culture with American culture. The author/illustrator paints portraits reflecting memories from when she was a child. The pictures tell of various holidays or customs that were celebrated in her family. Its a culturally rich book that is written in two languages on each page. I would love to use this in a cultural study, an author/illustrator study and also for a way for students to reflect on their own family's traditions and practices.