Alma Flor Ada

Alma Flor Ada
http://almaflorada.com/about/

Alma Flor Ada

About Alma Flor Ada

• Born in Cam­agüey, Cuba in 1953
• Came to the United States in 1968 at 15 years old after spending time in Spain
• Pro­fes­sor Emerita at the Uni­ver­sity of San Fran­cisco, 
• Has written many books for educators, adults, and children
• Has devoted her life to advocacy for peace by promoting personal real­iza­tion and social justice
• Many children's books available in both Spanish and English or are bilingual 
• Many awards (see website for complete list)

Quotes from Alma Flor Ada

• "Every evening my grandmother and I sat on the porch to wait for the sunset. I listened to her stories of the struggle for freedom, equality, and justice that had been carried on by people who lived in that same house. Her ability to tell stories made history alive to me and planted the seed that children can listen to very important topics if they are presented as a good story." (http://almaflorada.com/about/biographical-information/)
• "The topics that keep repeating, whether the char­ac­ters be animals, people or even geometric shapes are the joy of family, the surprises of dis­cov­er­ing friendship among those who apparently are dif­fer­ent from us, our capac­ity to change our envi­ron­ment and thus our life for the bet­ter, and the power in not-giving up. (http://almaflorada.com/about/biographical-information/)
• How does Alma Flor Ada get ideas for writing? She says, "Ideas are all around us. I can get inspired for a story by see­ing some­thing, or by hear­ing some words… but at the end it always seems that the sto­ries reflect some­thing that is deep in me." (http://almaflorada.com/about/biographical-information/)

Annotated Bibliography

Click here to view a pdf version of an annotated bibliography about 45 of Ada's 200 children books. As well, please take the time look through Ada's children's book on her website: http://almaflorada.com/childrens-books/. There is a page for each book which gives a description of the book (and video if available), recognition the book has received, an author's note stating why Ada wrote the text, reviews, and lesson plans.

Reflections on Major Works

• I Love Saturdays y domingos 
  This book chronicles the weekends of a little girl who spends her Saturdays with her European-American Grandma and Grandpa, and domingos (Sundays) with her Mexican-American Abuelito y Abuelita. She eats greets them, eats breakfast with them, flies balloons and kites with them, plays with their pets, and listens to their stories. Then both families come together to celebrate her birthday with traditions from both cultures.
  The story uses a lot of Spanish vocabulary when describing her time with her Mexican grandparents. This fusion of the Mexican culture and Spanish language with American culture and English is a very common theme in Ada's books. This interest in Spanish stems from growing up in Cuba. Another very significant feature of Ada's books is the depth to which she explores the various cultures, she writes beyond surface level stereotypes. I really enjoyed this book! I liked how seamlessly the English and Spanish flowed together (although I can't read the Spanish I was able to discern the meaning). I also was very drawn by the nice comparisons Ada draws between the cultures. She shows that both grandparents do similar things, and love their granddaughter, but do it in different ways, which is a very important message for children. 
• The Gold Coin
  This story reads as a folktale it is an original story about a thief  Juan,  who wants Dona Josefa's gold coin. Dona Josefa is the local healer and travels around the countryside to care for the sick and wounded. Juan chases after her but is always a little late and finds himself helping the local people in the their fields in order to get them to take him to her. While in the fields he remembers how nice it is to be in the sun, to smile, to eat and talk with people, and to love. In essence he is realizes that people and hard work are what truly bring joy, not an accumulation of wealth. At the end, he is clearly an changed man. He is offered the gold coin but gives it back to Dona Josefa saying, "He will need it more than I."
  The story follows the theme Ada mentioned is common in many of her books, "the joy of family, the surprises of dis­cov­er­ing friendship among those who apparently are dif­fer­ent from us, and our capac­ity to change our envi­ron­ment and thus our life for the bet­ter" (Alma Flor Ada). Initially, I wasn't sure I liked this story. It started off a little slow and the design is a little dated (illustration and text figuration). However, as I kept reading, I really liked the message of the story. I also noticed there is actually a lot of depth to the illustrations if you pay attention. This plot line was more deep than I Love Saturdays y domingos, but had similar Spanish influences. 

Bibliography

• http://almaflorada.com/