Home for Navidad

by Harriet Ziefert, Santiago Cohen (Illustrations)

Rosa is ten years old, and she lives with her grandmother, her little brother, and her uncle in a small town in Mexico. But her mother lives in the United States, trying to earn much-needed money to send home to her family. So Rosa has not seen her mother in three years. She misses her mama all the time, but most particularly in the weeks leading up to Christmas. This year, Rosa hopes her mother will finally be able to come home for Navidad and stay with her in Santa Catarina forever.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Cultural, Holiday, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 29, 2003

About the author

Harriet Ziefert grew up in North Bergen, New Jersey, where she attended the local schools. She graduated from Smith College, then received a Masters degree in Education from New York University.

For many years, Ziefert was an elementary school teacher. She taught most grades from kindergarten to fifth grade. "I liked it," she said, but she stopped teaching when she had her own sons. When her children were older, Ziefert wanted "a bigger arena" for her work. She went to work at a publishing company, Scholastic in New York City, developing materials for teacher's guides for kindergarten language arts and social studies programs.

"About twelve years ago," says Ziefert in a 1995 interview, "I tried to get a job as an editor, but no one would hire me as a trade editor. So I decided to write my own books." Since then, she has written several hundred books, mostly picture books and easy-to-read books. "I write books very quickly," she says, "in about twelve hours. I rewrite them three times over three days, and then they're done." She writes about twenty books a year.

Reviews

[Marlena Markland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: In Home for Navidad little Rosa lives with her Abuela and Uncle Tio in Mexico. One day Rosa goes off to work in the corn fields with her Uncle Tio. Her Uncle is wondering why she was so eager to go with him this day until she proposes the question, "Is Mama coming soon?" Rosa has not seen her mother in three years and is eager to be reunited with her. She is hopeful that she will be home in time for Navidad, but with the burden of cost laying so heavily on this family, she is unsure if this will really happen.

Major Themes: The major theme in this book is family love and the bonds that loved ones share no matter the distance between them.

Star Rating: 4 stars

Personal Response: I really enjoyed this book, but expected more from it. The beginning was really touching and heartfelt, but I feel like the ending almost came too abruptly. There was no real story build then climax. As I read it, it just seemed like the beginning introduced the story and then we jumped quickly to the conclusion.

Why I Recommend this Book: I would still recommend this book, because it can act as window or a mirror depending on who the reader is. I think that the author did a beautiful job of illustrating Mexican traditions and the hardships that some of these families face.

[Joanna Salvador · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this story, though I wish it didn’t end with a dream. I would’ve loved to see Rosa and her mamá reunited, especially after all the build up.

[Kelli Ryne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about a family in Mexico waiting for the mother to return after working in New York for three years. It's a fantastic resource for teaching cultural aspects of modern Mexican life. It touches on migrant work and the economic pressures that cause it. I would use this to teach modern immigration. It's a very timely story and it can easily be used in conjunction with news articles about Mexican migrant workers and their perception and reception in the United States.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about a little Mexican girl whose mother works in New York. She hasn't seen her mother in three years, and she'd really like her mother to come home for Christmas. It was a good story for my children to hear, to know that there are mothers and children who are separated because the mothers need to work.

[Emelda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so important, but a little over my kids' heads, so I opted not to read it. Centering on a girl in Mexico whose mother is away in the USA trying to earn money for the family, it touches on immigration, child/migrant labor, non-nuclear families, and hope. So necessary.