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Where the Flame Trees Bloom
Includes eleven stories about the relatives and friends that were part of the author's childhood in Cuba.
80 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1994
8 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Alma Flor Ada
668 books187 followers(http://facebook.com/almaflorada)
Dr. Ada was the founder and First Editor in Chief of :
NABE, Journal of the National Association for Bilingual Education
She has been active for many years in various professional associations including : IRA, International Reading Association
CRA, California Reading Association
CABE, California Association for Bilingual Education
USIBBY, US Branch of the International Board of Books for Young People
She is a member of :
Advisory Board of Loose Leaf Public Radio Programs
National Television Workshop
Between the Lines
Reading Up!, Natural Head Start Association
A frequent speaker at national and international conferences, Dr. Ada also works in school districts with children, teachers and parents.
The award-winning author of numerous children’s books and a prolific translator, Alma Flor Ada is a leading mentor and philosopher of bilingual education in the United States.
She has authored several reading programs, among them two Spanish reading programs :
Cielo abierto (K-6)
Vamos de fiesta! (K-3)
and of two English reading programs :
Signatures (K-6)
Collections (K- 6)
and is a series consultant for Relatos de la historia (1-5), a Spanish social studies program developed by Harcourt School Publishers.
Among her most substantive contributions to the transmission of Hispanic culture to children are :
Música amiga, a program for learning through songs, published by Del Sol Books
Puertas al Sol - Pathways to the Sun, published by Santillana
Latino poetry, Art, and Biographies for children, published by Santillana
Dr. Ada received her Ph.D. in Spanish Literature from the Pontifical Catholic University of Lima, Perú and did post-doctoral research at Harvard University as a Fellow of the Radcliffe Institute and a Fulbright Research Scholar.
Dr. Ada was the founder and First Editor in Chief of :
NABE, Journal of the National Association for Bilingual Education
She has been active for many years in various professional associations including : IRA, International Reading Association
CRA, California Reading Association
CABE, California Association for Bilingual Education
USIBBY, US Branch of the International Board of Books for Young People
She is a member of :
Advisory Board of Loose Leaf Public Radio Programs
National Television Workshop
Between the Lines
Reading Up!, Natural Head Start Association
A frequent speaker at national and international conferences, Dr. Ada also works in school districts with children, teachers and parents.
The award-winning author of numerous children’s books and a prolific translator, Alma Flor Ada is a leading mentor and philosopher of bilingual education in the United States.
She has authored several reading programs, among them two Spanish reading programs :
Cielo abierto (K-6)
Vamos de fiesta! (K-3)
and of two English reading programs :
Signatures (K-6)
Collections (K- 6)
and is a series consultant for Relatos de la historia (1-5), a Spanish social studies program developed by Harcourt School Publishers.
Among her most substantive contributions to the transmission of Hispanic culture to children are :
Música amiga, a program for learning through songs, published by Del Sol Books
Puertas al Sol - Pathways to the Sun, published by Santillana
Latino poetry, Art, and Biographies for children, published by Santillana
Dr. Ada received her Ph.D. in Spanish Literature from the Pontifical Catholic University of Lima, Perú and did post-doctoral research at Harvard University as a Fellow of the Radcliffe Institute and a Fulbright Research Scholar.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 25, 2016
I feel like the world is a more beautiful place, having read this charming book. Alma Flor Ada takes us to the Cuba of her childhood, and reading her stories, I felt like I was sitting at the feet of a beloved Gramother, listening to her tell me of the life she knew. The stories feel that intimate and familiar. We meet people, both relatives and friends, who show compassion and a zest for life - from the blind great grandmother who can sew rag dolls by touch and the hired man who plays the accordian at night. The text was so lyrical, I truly felt like I was living amongst the trees and the memories of those people who made Alma into the woman she is.
The novella is a series of vingettes, with each chapter as a titled story - I think my favorites were "Mathematics" and "The Rag Dolls," both of which are about her beloved great grandmother. Because of their elegant simplicty, I think all these stories could be read with pleasure to (or by) children as young as 8 or 9, but appriciated on a different level by adults. Highly reommended.
The novella is a series of vingettes, with each chapter as a titled story - I think my favorites were "Mathematics" and "The Rag Dolls," both of which are about her beloved great grandmother. Because of their elegant simplicty, I think all these stories could be read with pleasure to (or by) children as young as 8 or 9, but appriciated on a different level by adults. Highly reommended.
July 12, 2009
Where the Flame Trees Bloom is a collection of stories used to create a vivid memoir of Ada's childhood in Cuba. Some of the stories she includes are small vignettes of events from her childhood; others are stories are stories of her family that were told to her by her grandmother and great-grandmother about their childhood and young adulthood in Cuba.
Ada paints a vivid picture of the not only the landscape of the area she lived in but of the cultural landscape of Cuba during her childhood. There is such an intimate quality about the stories that I felt like I was transported to Ada's childhood and was hearing these stories at the knee of her grandmother or sitting beneath the roots of the flame tree with a Ada as a young girl. She brings the members of her family to life on the page with her vibrant descriptions of their physical features, their dress, and their mannerisms. Each story brings into focus the compassion and strength of the people Ada writes about, and what stands out most about each of the characters is their zest for life.
Ada paints a vivid picture of the not only the landscape of the area she lived in but of the cultural landscape of Cuba during her childhood. There is such an intimate quality about the stories that I felt like I was transported to Ada's childhood and was hearing these stories at the knee of her grandmother or sitting beneath the roots of the flame tree with a Ada as a young girl. She brings the members of her family to life on the page with her vibrant descriptions of their physical features, their dress, and their mannerisms. Each story brings into focus the compassion and strength of the people Ada writes about, and what stands out most about each of the characters is their zest for life.
July 29, 2016
I wish I'd read this one before the sequel, Under the Royal Palms. I hate reading books out of sequence! This book of stories/memories from Alma Flor Ada's childhood in Cuba was just as good as the sequel. My favorites were "Choices," "The Rag Dolls," "Canelo," and "The Ice Cream Man," but they were all good. What wonderful memories, and she knows how to tell them so that all their magic shows. Reading this made me want to visit Cuba, although the Cuba that she knew may not exist any more. Highly recommended!
May 10, 2014
A really beautiful collection of brief stories that make you stop and think. Which, really, sounds a bit cliché, but I mean it. I think my favorite was "The Teacher," about Ada's grandmother teaching her young students about compassion for other people, and in doing so changing a man's life when all he wanted was to die.
It's these small glimpses into Cuba's land, history, culture, and family structures that makes me feel… nostalgia? for something I've never experienced.
It's just a beautiful collection, and one that you could easily incorporate into a classroom experience.
It's these small glimpses into Cuba's land, history, culture, and family structures that makes me feel… nostalgia? for something I've never experienced.
It's just a beautiful collection, and one that you could easily incorporate into a classroom experience.
February 5, 2014
This is a really beautiful book about the author's memories of living in Cuba, divided into several stories. The stories are sometimes humorous, sometimes inspiring, and always well-written with an almost-poetic voice. This book was really enjoyable to read, and makes me want to find other books written by her.
December 30, 2015
I loved reading and learning about Alma Flor Ada's childhood in Under the Royal Palm and loved reading more stories from her childhood days in Cuba in this volume. I was especially fond of reading about her great-grandmother, Mina, really heart-warming:
"She knew how to add and subtract, how to accept and to give and to share so that the balance was always one of love."
"She knew how to add and subtract, how to accept and to give and to share so that the balance was always one of love."
June 11, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this aloud with my son. Ada tells stories about her life growing up in Cuba. Each story is carefully selected to convey the beauty of her country and the beauty of humanity. We will continue to read this again and again.
January 29, 2017
The author is Cuban and the stories are from her childhood there, the illustrations are by the great Puerto Rican artist Antonio Martorell, and this should resonate with kids learning about the heritage of either island.
December 11, 2009
Interesting collection of family stories by a Cuban author.
May 19, 2013
Lovely book of stories from the author's childhood in Cuba. Sort of a Caribbean style Little House on the Prairie.
January 9, 2018
Read this aloud to my 9 and 7 year olds. We all enjoyed the short stories and clever lessons weaved.
February 1, 2020
This collection of short stories captures a vivid picture of Cuba, an island with a rich heritage. Each chapter can be read independent of the others and in that way it is of use to writers. Many are written from the perspective of a child, whose innocence passes over the crude and vulgar to rest on the delights of nature and the love of family. We could all benefit by thinking about our surroundings the way Miss Alma, as a child, saw her world.
November 3, 2021
Sweet, simple stories that certainly bring me back to the innocence of my youth as she describes her little-girl reactions to things and people around her. It feels good to read about goodness. I'll definitely read the sequel--Under the Royal Palms
October 15, 2021
Read with the kids for school. They always wanted more!
July 3, 2024
mi espasñol is tan buena
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews