Join Hands!

by Pat Mora

Friends come together to sing, dance, and play in this tribute to community.  Pat Mora weaves the repeating lines of a pantoum, a Malaysian poetic form, into a joyful celebration while George Ancona's energetic photos capture the ways of enjoying good times with others.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Pat Mora (born 1942) is a female Mexican-American author and poet. Pat Mora was born in El Paso, Texas. She is married and has 3 grown children.

Reviews

[Roxanne Hsu Feldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one introduces a specific type of poetry: pantoum. Upon first reading, one immediately notices the recurring lines but does not quite know how structured this form actually is. It's good that the poem is re-printed in its entirety toward the end of the book and the lines are color-coded to emphasize the structure. The text is fun. Most images are lively and natural. The recurring images is a great touch. (Start now and take a chance -- one boy on ice, then the same line showing a bunch of kids - including the boy - on ice; same with the Flamenco dancer and the native american dancers.)

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know there was a specific type of rhyme that Pat Mora was trying to showcase, but I thought it made the book choppy and I was like, wait, didn't I already read this line? I'm sure children will appreciate the realistic pictures of other children celebrating.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun photographs!

[Joey Gremillion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book of poetry. Highly recommended for Hispanic Heritage month.