Module #10:  

Tomas and the Library Lady

Book Summary: Tomas and the Library Lady, by Pat Mora and illustrations by Raul Colon, is a lovely picture book.  Tomas, the son of a farmworker, discovers the library in the new town his family has moved to. While his family works, he discovers new worlds inside books and makes a new friend in the library lady.  Back home, Tomas delights his family by reading stories from his new library books.

APA Reference of Book:

Mora, P. & Colón, R. (1997). Tomás and the library lady (1st ed.). New York: Knopf.

Impressions: The first thing that grabs your attention about this book is the artwork. The illustrations are beautifully done, in earth-tone colors, by Raul Colon. This is a wonderful story of a young boy who discovers a love for books, reading, and storytelling. Reading the reviews, I discovered that this is a fictionalized story of the author’s childhood and life growing up.

Professional Review:

Pat Mora's Tomas and the Library Lady (Illus. by Raul Colon. Random House, 1997) is based on a true incident that happened in the young life of Tomas Rivera, famous writer, educational leader, and university president at the University of California at Riverside. Tomas, the son of migrant farm workers, goes to a public library in Iowa in search of more stories like Papa Grande tells. Until Tomas must return to Texas at the end of the summer, his love for stories and books is nurtured by "the library lady."

Brodie, C. S. (2003). Tomas and the Library Lady. School Library Monthly, 19(9), 48-51.

Library Uses:

This would be a good book to use and display during Hispanic Heritage Month, as it tells the story of a farmworker family traveling from town to town. It is also a great book about family time and sharing stories.