Alfredito Flies Home by Jorge Argueta, Luis Garay (Illustrator), Elisa Amado (Translator)

Product Details

Synopsis

Alfredito and his family are getting ready to return to El Salvador for Christmas. It will be their first visit back since they left as refugees and made their way to California on foot. But this time they're flying! Excitement mounts as Alfredito and his family soar over the Earth and finally arrive at their beloved home to reunite with family and friends. This extraordinary book celebrates an experience familiar to the many who have left their original country to find a new life. Jorge Argueta's tender, clever prose is perfectly complemented by Luis Garay's rich, authentic illustrations.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5- After four years living in San Francisco, Alfredito and his parents plan their return visit to El Salvador and have a happy homecoming. Leaving his relatives after the visit is hard on Alfredito, but upon his return to California, he feels "a bit happy" because he has two places to call home. Neither the text nor the illustrations offer insight into the boy's age. In some pictures, he appears to be a preteen; in most scenes he looks and behaves more like a boy of about eight. Full pages of several paragraphs of dry text alternate with formal, realistic acrylic paintings. Both convey the joy of Alfredito's family reunion and delight in his home country, but the text reads more like informative prose than pleasurable fiction. Still, it may resonate with readers who also live far from people they love.-Julie R. Ranelli, Queen Anne's County Free Library, Stevensville, MD