Juana Martinez-Neal is the Peruvian-born daughter and
granddaughter of painters. Her debut as an
author-illustrator, Alma and How She Got Her Name, was awarded
a Caldecott Honor and was published in Spanish as Alma y cómo
obtuvo su nombre. She also illustrated La Princesa and the
Pea by Susan Middleton Elya, for which she won a Pura Belpré
Illustrator Award, Babymoon by Hayley Barrett, Swashby
and the Sea by Beth Ferry, and Fry Bread: A Native American
Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, which won a Robert F.
Sibert Medal. Juana Martinez-Neal lives in Connecticut with her
family. Visit her online at www.juanamartinezneal.com.
Martinez-Neal brings her gentle story to life through beautiful
graphite and colored pencil artwork, set against cream-colored
backgrounds. Soft blue and red details pop against the charcoal
scenes, which perfectly reflect the snapshots of Alma’s family.
While Alma feels enriched by learning her family’s history, she is
also empowered by the knowledge that she will give her name, Alma,
its own story.
—Booklist (starred review)
Martinez-Neal’s first outing as author is a winner—her velvety and
largely monochromatic pencil drawings, punctuated with cherry red,
teem with emotional intimacy. It’s an origin story that envelops
readers like a hug.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
The softly colored images and curvilinear shapes that embrace the
figures evoke a sense of warmth and affection. At the story’s end,
the only tale readers have not heard is Alma’s. “You will make your
own story,” states her father. A beautifully illustrated, tender
story to be shared with all children, sure to evoke conversations
about their names.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
Mostly monochromatic against a cream background, the
illustrations—print transfers with graphite and colored pencils—are
delightful, capturing the distinctive essences of Alma’s many
namesakes...A celebration of identity, family and belonging.
—Kirkus Reviews
Throughout, grayscale print transfer illustrations have a soft
visual texture, and subtle colored-pencil highlights in pinks and
blues enliven each spread. The pictures end up stealing the show in
their depiction of the sweet closeness between Alma and her father.
They also convey a subtle, supernatural connection between Alma and
her ancestors, whose images in the family photos make eye contact
with her outside of her father’s awareness.
—The Horn Book
As artist, her mostly black-and-white graphite and colored pencil
drawings with splashes of red (suggesting now) and blue (capturing
then) provide an additional, enhancing narrative: the family's
Peruvian roots, Alma's avian and floral interests, her bilingual
drawings, her historically inspired style sense, even a peek at
Esperanza's worldly treasures...Names are so much more than a
collection of letters and sounds, Martinez-Neal reminds. The book's
final words, "What story would you like to tell?" become an
invitation for readers to share and claim each of their own,
distinctive stories, histories and identities.
—Shelf Awareness for Readers
Every piece of Alma’s name, she discovers, comes to her from
someone in her family, and, as she and her father talk, Alma feels
a new sense of connection...Touching on cultural themes central to
the recent Pixar movie “Coco,” this is a tender outing for children
ages 4-8.
—The Wall Street Journal
A great book for introducing family history and the importance of
our place within it.
—Story Monsters Ink
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