Conoce a Gabriel García Márquez / My Name is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez (Spanish Edition)

Conoce a / Get to Know

by Monica Brown, Raúl Colón (Illustrator)

Can you imagine a shipwrecked sailor living on air and seaweed for eight days? Can you imagine a trail of yellow butterflies fluttering their wings to songs of love? Once, there was a little boy named Gabito who could. Gabriel Garcia Marquez is perhaps one of the most brilliant writers of our time. Using the imagery from his novels, Monica Brown traces the novelist's life in this creative nonfiction picture book.

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Nonfiction, Childrens, Cultural, Spanish Literature, Latinx

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2007

About the author

Monica Brown, Ph.D. is the author of awardwinning bilingual books for children, including My Name Is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/Me llamo Celia: La vida de Celia Cruz (Luna Rising), a recipient of the Américas Award for Children's Literature and a Pura Belpré Honor. Her second picture book, My Name Is Gabriela: The Life of Gabriela Mistral/Me llamo Gabriela: La vida de Gabriela Mistral (Luna Rising) shares the story of the first Latina to win a Nobel Prize.

Monica's books are inspired by her Peruvian-American heritage and desire to share Latino/a stories with children. "I write from a place of deep passion, joy, and commitment to producing the highest possible quality of literature for children. In my biographies, the lives of my subjects are so interesting and transformational that I am simply giving them voice for a young audience. I don't think it is ever too early to introduce children to the concepts of magical realism, social justice, and dreaming big!"

Her other books include Chavela and the Magic Bubble (Clarion), Pelé, King of Soccer/Pelé, el rey del fútbol (Rayo/HarperCollins), My Name is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel Garcia Márquez/Me llamo Gabito: La vida de Gabriel Garcia Márquez (Luna Rising), and the forthcoming Side by Side: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez/Lado a lado, La Historia de Dolores Huerta y César Chávez (Rayo/HarperCollins).

Monica Brown is a Professor of English at Northern Arizona University, specializing in U.S. Latino Literature and Multicultural Literature. She also writes and publishes scholarly work with a Latino/a focus, including Gang Nation: Delinquent Citizenship in Puerto Rican and Chicano and Chicana Literature; and numerous scholarly articles and chapters on Latino/a literature and cultural studies. She is a recipient of the prestigious Rockefeller Fellowship on Chicano Cultural Literacies from the Center for Chicano Studies at the University of California. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Flagstaff, Arizona.

To hear Monica Brown on Arizona NPR radio, click here or here. Find out what Monica Brown has to say about children's books and literacy here and here.

Reviews

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Name is Gabito/Me llamo Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez is a children's picture book written by Monica Brown and illustrated by Raúl Colón. It is a biographical picture book of Gabriel García Márquez, a Nobel Prize Laureate.

Mid-September to Mid-October, at least in my part of the world is Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month, which I plan to read one children's book, particularly a biography, which pertains to the subject everyday this month. Therefore, I thought that this book would be apropos for today.

Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century and one of the best in the Spanish language, he was awarded the 1972 Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Brown's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Brown does a wonderful job of articulating Márquez's complex literary style in a way youngsters can grasp. Even better, she shows how his imagination was nurtured and encouraged from a very early age by the things around him. The text is written in blocks of English and Spanish with words of both languages sometimes incorporated into the page design. Colón's brilliant watercolors float off the page, anchored by his penciled outlines. The use of swirls and scratches gives depth to the clothing and backgrounds of each illustration and captures a sense of Márquez's creative imagination.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. This luminous picture book describes the Colombian author's childhood and influences. From his humble beginnings in Aracataca, Colombia, Márquez was nurtured by his grandparents, which his grandfather was an important figure for the development of his talent. Márquez loved learning words from his grandfather's dictionary and realized that the more he read, the more imaginative his stories became.

All in all, My Name is Gabito/Me llamo Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez is a wonderful biographical picture book of Gabriel García Márquez – a Nobel Prize Laureate for Literature.

[595AJ__Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Name is Gabito, by Monica Brown, is a 2007-2008 Americas Award Commended Title. It is a story about the life of the distinguished Nobel Prize winner for literature, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. This book begins when “Gabito” is a little boy in his home town of Aracataca, Colombia. The reader is quickly immersed into Gabito’s wild imagination and dreams. As the story continues the reader learns about a special person in Gabito’s life who helped influence his love of words. The story ends when Gabito grows up to be “the great storyteller, read by millions.” This text is eloquently written with words that capture Gabito’s vivid imagination. The illustrations are full of color, movement, and beauty, bringing the author’s words to life. I would recommend this book for grades 1-4. It could be used in the classroom as part of an author or creative writing unit, or as a biographical study of a famous person. This text also won the ALA 2008 Pura Belpre Honor Award.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book about the life of Gabriel Garcia Marquez is in such stark contrast to "The Dreamer" about Pablo Neruda. We learn that Marquez grew up in an environment that fostered his vast imagination and creativity. He was given opportunities to meet new people and learn from his surroundings. His grandparents nurtured his desire to be creative and to write, as opposed to Pablo Neruda, whose father did everything in his power to squash every creative thought the boy had. He was intimidating and mocked Neruda's interest in nature and writing. Yet, he still found a way to express his thoughts and to publish his writing. Two very different lives that both ended up being very respected for their abilities to tell a story and to write.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this children's biography of author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Written in English and Spanish, the story focuses mainly on Marquez as a young boy with a big imagination, learning to tell stories and learning big words from his grandfather's dictionary. Later, the boy begins to write his stories down, and becomes a world-famous author. The beautiful vibrant illustrations capture the swirling ideas of the boy's imagination, often combining words and pictures. I love the idea of introducing a great author to children, giving them an inkling of his genius long before they discover his books.

[Paper Ghost ☾]

That was shorter than I thought, cute illustrations and lovely writing.

[L13F_Jana Wilkening · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 2008 America's Award Commended title tells the story of the famous author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Written in both Spanish and English, the story follows his background and how his imagination was inspired to help him become such an incredible storyteller. The highlight of this book are the gorgeous illustrations. The rainbow of colors used on each page creates a dream-like quality to the book. My favorite illustration is of "the most beautiful woman in the world" whose hair is stripes of rainbow colors. The end of the book contains a nice biography about his life. This is another great book to add to the collection of interesting biographical reads that could be used in grades 3-8. This is a great way to engage students in nonfiction and potentially inspire their own biographical research.

[MissDziura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent bilingual picture book for older readers (3rd-5th grade), and recevied the Pura Belpre Honor. The left side is the story of author Gabriel Garcia Marquez written in English, while the right side is the story in Spanish. Some of the pages change by having the English at the top section and Spanish at the bottom, but no matter which placement of the two languages, it is an easily readable book. I especially liked how his biography has Gabriel come across various important things that influence his writing as a kid, and restated them near the end when he is grown up. The book does an excellent job of showing Gabito's wild imagination through the beautiful illustrations. A great biography and tribute to a Spanish legend!

[Jim March]

This book is a great introduction to one of the most widely read and influential Latino authors of our time. I think it is amazing the way that Monica Brown makes Marquez, or Gabito, accessible to young readers, while making the injustice that informed Marquez' artistic vision (in the form of a banana plantation and its workers) available at the same time. Accompanied by vivid illustrations by Raul Colon, this book, which is likely geared towards young grade school students, lends itself to usefulness for all ages as a pleasant introduction to Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

[Q_michelene Haggard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biography of Columbia author and Nobel
Prize winner, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Text is written in both Spanish and English. Although a one page synopsis of his life is included in the back of the book, the story focuses mainly on Gabito's imagination and his relationship with his grandfather. Also includes figurative language that goes along well with the bright and creative illustrations. Would be especially good to use in the classroom if students are hesitant to imagine and take risks in their creative writing.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice biography of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He is depicted as a young man with a huge imagination and tells stories all of the time. I couldn't help but think of the book My Name is Gabriela who also tells stories her while life and becomes a writer. The books would probably pair well together.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like that this children's biography of Gabriel Garcia Marquez is bilingual. I just wasn't overall crazy about it, and I was bothered by the uncritical use of the word "gypsy" in the text.

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Name is Gabito by Monica Brown
Published October 1st 2007 by Luna Rising
Interest Level: 2nd-5th Grade

This is a book about the life of Gabriel Garcia Marquez written in both Spanish and English. It takes an overarching view of the life of this notable Columbian author. The illustrations follow Raul Colon's style of illustration. The illustrations were bright and colorful and jumped from point to point in Marquez's life. The most interesting part of this book were the clear, colorful illustrations and the bilingual texts put on opposing pages.

The part that I thought could be improved upon was the overall storyline of Marquez's life. His life seemed overly idealized and extremely positive. His literary career is almost barely mentioned and the story focuses mainly on his relationship with his grandfather and development of imagination. This focus on imagination and his grandfather create a picturesque vision of Marquez's life. There is no mention of his parents and grandfather or any struggles that Marquez faced in his lifetime.

The culture of Marquez's life is also overly simplified and somewhat reduced to banana plantations, stories, and illustrations. There were few other details regarding Columbian culture that were included in the story. This part of the story was not particularly authentic and created a flat representation of Marquez. It is focused expressly on Marquez before the age of 9 and a brief few pages on his adult life. I would have enjoyed more details about Marquez's life, creative process, and rise in the literary world. Overall, an expressly positive view on Marquez's life and culture that could have been shown more deeply in many ways.

[Selena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: This is a nonfiction narrative about the life of the greatest story teller ever known – Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The story begins with Garcia as a child, growing up everyone called him Gabito and that is what he is referred to throughout the book. Gabito’s story begins in magical town of Aracataca, Colombia. He is a little boy full of imagination and because of that he is never bored or lonely. He lets his imagination take him away on limitless journeys. Join the ride and enjoy learning about the man behind the imagination.
Evaluation: This book brings readers on a colorful, magical, journey of self-discovery and fantasy. Gabito is just a young boy when he finds his passion for creating timeless stories. Even though he might not be fully grown he does not let his young age stop him from chasing his dreams and sharing his voice with the world. He invites readers to embrace their inner story teller and let their imagination set them free. His love for writing enhances his stories and makes readers feel the power of storytelling.
Teaching Point: The author Monice Brown and the illustrator Raul Colon do a fantastic job recreating the imaginative mind of Gabito. This book would be a great introduction to nonfiction narrative writing. There are several great visual examples of how authors can use illustrations to bring their writing alive. For example, on the last page, Gabito has grown into his adult self, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He is shown typing on his typewriter, surrounded by tropical trees, birds, butterflies and fruits. This illustration makes the magic of writing come to life in an enticing way so that young readers can feel the power they too have at their fingertips.

[Grace Livengood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brown, M., & Colón, R. (n.d.). My name is Gabito: The life of Gabriel García Márquez.
A little boy named Gabito had a limitless imagination, inspired by the things he saw and experienced. The more he experienced, the more he wanted to write about those things, and as an adult, Gabriel García Márquez became a famous writer, enchanting people with the stories he created with his "wild" imagination. The colored pencil drawing added dimension and texture to the life of this famous poet in Brown's biography of him. I read a lot of Márquez's work in my Spanish literature class, and it was great getting to learn more about him from a different angle and seeing how his imagination inspired the fantastical tales he came up with. Seeing how one person's imagination could affect so many people and be a career for one man was inspiring and it would be a good thing to encourage students and readers to nurture their imagination and let their own experiences inspire them t do great things.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those "difficult" picture books as it is lush and lovely and I like it because it is about a writer and has great lines like " who had a giant dictionary filled with many amazing words", but nevertheless, this is a biography about an adult author - so the references to the books he has written are books children will not read which makes the subject of this biography confusing and the vague and lyrical text doesn't help clarify anything very much. Unlike a title such as Sandy's Circus where the Calder's Art is something children can view and the life of the artist can make a certain sense to them, this endless repeat of "can you imagine" and talking about a book about the world's most beautiful woman is not going to make much of a connection. Unfortunately this is not the sort of book children use as a school report biography either. Still, I hope it finds an audience.

[Katy Jean Vance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I had to give it five stars, although I do recognize the complaints of some of the other reviewers here. There is complicated imagery and language in this book for the audience for which it is likely intended. Of course, I am a strong believer that picture books have a role to play at any age, in any classroom.

I love the pictures in this book, the visualizations of "Gabito's" dreams, and the way the authors wove together elements of his life and his stories. Gabriel Garcia Marquez is an incredible writer and this is an excellent introduction to his writings. I can see this children's biography working well in a collaborative unit on creative writing or on a country study of Columbia. I read the English version, but I would love to check out the bilingual version.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 2008 Belpre Illustrator Honor Book. Also includes Spanish translations. Another great multicultural book. Gabriel Garcia Marquez loved words and sounds and stories. Born in Columbia he was inspired by the people who lived during his era. His stories most often are about migrant workers. This book tells his story of his childhood living with his family and much is said about his love and admiration for his Grandfather. Gabito grewe up to become one of the most famous storytellers of our time. Until I read this book, I did not know that he had written Love in the Time of Cholera snd One Hundred years of Solitude. I really enjoyed rhe illustrations which were done by Raul Colon. This is a great biography of Gabriel that was written in a simple format.

[Q_Jill Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about a man named Gabito and his gift of writing. He was born in Arcataca, Columbia and was raised by his grandparents. He had a big imagination! He saw the world as a magical place. He would tell stories about big, angry bulls getting loose and running through the kitchen, about gypsies and wanders, and men with enormous wings falling from the sky. The more people he met and places he would go, the more he became more inspired to write. This is a great story that encourages children to not be afraid to imagine. For older students, after reading this story, it would be fun to explore his writing.

[Shelby Moser · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you teach in a bilingual school, or you just appreciate bilingual books, this is a phenomenal book. It is an autobiography about a man named Gabito. I particularly like this biography because it is not about a famous person, but Gabito in many senses is an average man. On each page there is an account of Gabito's life in both English and Spanish. The book is about a man named Gabito who becomes shipwrecked and lives off of seaweed for 8 days. There is an incredible amount of imagery used and the story is told in a creative way. Although this is a picture book, the book is incredibly dense. It is probably best for older children starting at grade 4.

[Kari Martycz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monica Brown and Raul Colon have written an amazing story about Gabriel Garcia Marquez. When Gabriel was a young boy, he had an amazing imagination and a great storyteller. While growing up in Columbia, his grandpa and him would go on walks together and tell stories. Gabriel did not like it was fair that the people who worked on the banana plantation were so poor, and had to work so hard.

This book would be great for teaching children that anything is possible, and to always fulfill your dreams. I would recommend this book to ages 5-12, but it could also be used in high school to teach children about imagination, and believing in yourself.

[Princolitas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que libro tan bonito y mágico, las ilustraciones te hacen imaginar la vida de Gabito, mejor conocido como Gabriel García Márquez y de forma corta nos cuenta cómo era de pequeño y cuán grande era su imaginación. Hace algún tiempo leí cien años de soledad, y al leer hoy este pequeño libro sobre la historia del autor me doy cuenta que de verdad toda su imaginación y magia la expresaba en sus libros, todas las historias de Macondo y la magia que hay en el libro son el reflejo de lo que vivió en su infancia. Estoy enamorada de todos estos libros biográficos para niños y ni qué decir de las hermosas y mágicas ilustraciones.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

CIP: This biography tells the life of one of the most famous Latin American authors, known for his fantastical style of writing stories set in Latin America.

Review: This short and simple biography concentrates on giving the flavor of the imagery and imagination of Garcia Marquez’s writing with wonderful floating illustrations by Raul Colon. An overview of his life is woven through the book and summarized in a page at the end.

Winner of the ALA 2008 Pura Belpre Award Honor for Illustration. Named Best Children and YA Books of 2007 by Criticas magazine.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting biography that I discovered at our daughters' elementary school library. I've heard about how wonderful his stories are, like Love in the Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years of Solitude. If he truly is as terrific and imaginative as this book suggests, I will have to read one of his books soon!

[Catherine Woodman]

This book is a telling of the childhood life of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, with a brief biography of who he is at the end. The book is entirely bilingual which I think is a great thing, and also a great trend that I would like to see more of and to support. If I were rating the book solely on the illustrations, it would be a hands down 5 start book. For some reason, the lush colorful, fanciful paintings on each page remind me of South America, and they are vibrant and enticing. The text is good--just not GREAT. I would get the book, and recommend it to others.

[Brandon Kuether · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful book to get students to think about both the power of imagination as well as some of the things going on in the world. The author mentions poor workers on a banana plantation, which is not generally something that you see in a children's book. It is something that may spike interest in students, as well as put into perspective what life is like for some others around the world. Many assignments can be made in this book when the author digs into the "imagine" portion of the book.

[Nicole Kain · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations were very bright, colorful and definitely imaginative. I choose this book because it kind of goes along with the activity that we did last week in class. Besides reminding me of that activity, this book reminds me of a foreign exchange student our family had in 2010. The only reason why it reminds me of her is the fact this book takes place in Columbia. The book also reminds me of how crazy and vibrant young students can be when it comes to telling stories. The reader needs to know how to have an imagination in order to read this book!

[Mayra Bermejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Biography

Unique Feature: The picture book tells the story of a well known writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez in two languages, Spanish and English. The translation allows diverse readers to enjoy this book and learn about the life and imagination of this Nobel Prize recipient.

Grades: k-8
The book would work well with all ages, it provides colorful illustrations that will draw young readers and contains information about the writer that could be used in a variety of activities for older readers.

[Marigold Bookhound · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living in Colombia, surrounded by rich jungles and mountaintops, young Gabriel García Márquez is growing into the magic and wonder-loving storyteller he would later become. His family, his pet parrot, the neighboring banana farmers, and the dictionary are some of his favorite things to ponder. A light-hearted biography of García Márquez with bright and colorful illustrations to match the text. My favorite part was the set of pages illustrating some of the characters García Márquez would later write about, with the words "Can you imagine...?" on each page.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! The story was an imaginative half English/half Spanish biography of Gabito, or Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the famous Colombian writer. The illustrations were lovely. I think Raul Colon may be my new favorite illustrator. I am fascinated by the trend of more books about Colombian writers such as Garcia Marquez and Pablo Neruda. This book won a Pura Belpre Illustration Honor Award for 2008.

[M.R. Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

A beautiful book, gorgeously illustrated, but without structure. It is neither a story nor a biography, only a series of one- or two-line imaginings: a bull in the kitchen, a man with wings, a woman with green hair, only connected to Marquez's life in one or two places. There is a brief bio page at the very end, but I do not believe this book would keep a child's attention or generate any particular interest in Gabriel Garcia Marquez.