Isla

by Arthur Dorros, Elisa Kleven (Illustrator)

When Rosalba and Abuela travel to la isla, the island where Abuela grew up, Rosalba meets Abuela's son, Fernando, and his family and samples the sights of the island. By the creators of Abuela.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Read For School, Adventure, Cultural

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this imaginative story, a little girl and her grandmother go on an adventure through storytelling as the grandmother tells of the Caribbean island where she grew up and they go to "visit" all the wonderful people and places there. While the storytelling didn't wow me as much as I'd hoped, I like the concept and the illustrations are very colorful and full of wonderful detail (though I think I preferred Kleven's work with the aligator characters in in "A Carousel Tale" among others)

[Bridget Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sequel to Abuela, this is a beautifully written story, with vibrant and detailed illustrations. A granddaughter flies with her Abuela to the island she raised her children on, where she used to live before moving to New York City. The girl learns of how her father grew up, sees the beautiful home now occupied by her uncle, and visits with cousins and other family members. She marvels at fountains built by family members, cherished paintings, and old photographs. They visit the market, see the large port on the island, and even explore the sealife in the ocean surrounding the Caribbean island, la Isla. Sprinkled with words in Spanish, this book shows the beauty of a small village and island far over the ocean from the city where the story begins. By the end of the story, the girl and her Abuela have returned to their small apartment in the city, and snuggle up on a chair together, a photo album at their feet. This story can truly be reread multiple times, and the reader will see and find new things to appreciate each time.

This text would lend itself well to a text-set about the magic of imagination. Themes include the value of family, how to honor previous generations, as well as relationships with elders. This could truly be used in any age classroom, appropriate for young children, and could still be engaging in upper grades.

[Thalia Ortiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isla by Arthur Dorros is a fun fantasy book that encourages children to use their imagination, especially when they miss something. The story is about a little girl and her abuela who use their imagination to travel to the island where her abuela was raised. On the island, they go on many adventures discovering hidden gems about the island. I like that the author doesn’t give us the name of the exact island, so it can include all the Caribbean islands. The storyline details are extremely realistic, like the detail about abuela and abuelo having a little storefront in their home. My great-abuela and great-abuelo used to run a mini bar from their home that many of the local people went to hang out at night. It was a way for them to earn extra money out in the country. I also enjoyed the detail about the building that the Spaniards built that they could still see in the city. In Puerto Rico, we have many original Spaniard buildings, especially in old San Juan that are absolutely gorgeous. I also loved how simple the text is for young readers to read on their own. The images were beautiful, busy, and colorful but always related to the text. The illustrations show a variety of people in the background, and abuela’s son could have passed as Caucasian as he was paler than abuela and the girl and had curly light brown hair. I love that the illustrator chose to have diverse characters, even though the features were the same; however, I think that is simply the style of the illustrator. The way abuela speaks and the phrases she uses accurately represent what it is like to be on the islands. I especially enjoy the detail about how everyone is yelling what they are selling in the old market place because it is true.
The fact that this book showcases diverse looking characters, the most noticeably between abuela and her son, it reminded me of the Teaching Young Children about Race article on the Social Justice Books website. Students are going to notice that abuela and her granddaughter are tan with dark hair, so why is abuela’s son pale with light brown curly hair? This is a great doorway to explain that Hispanics come in many different shades and have many different characteristics. Not all Hispanics are tan with straight black hair like they may be led to believe do to media. This will open up conversation about stereotypes that they may have ad about Hispanics and help them become aware of their own prejudices.

[Rachel Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book introduces readers to Latinx culture and can be a great book for Latinx children to read because it gives them an opportunity to read about someone like themselves and relate to the main character. The illustrations are arguably the best part of the book because they are so colorful, vibrant, and slightly chaotic which is very representative of Latinx culture. The pictures add as much to the experience of reading as the words do and I think that is unique for a children's book. I enjoyed the vibrancy and fun of this book and I think children will too, it is obvious that the illustrations were meant to be a focal point.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It is adorable. It is about a little girl who envisions flying over La Isla, the island her grandmother grew up on. The story is very interesting in that the main character flys with her grandmother, definitely engaging for children. It is age appropriate and the illustrations are colorful and vivid. The culture represented is done so accurately and is not stereotypical. The story has a nice plot, and will hold the children's interest while reading. Children are exposed to new perspectives and values in this book. I also love that this is a bilingual book!

[Kylie Matusiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very inclusive book! Many books read at the elementary age are geared towards the "middle America", this meaning it is written in English with not does not vary between cultures. Having this book include words in Spanish will broaden the minds of the children and they will stay tuned throughout the book because of the amazing illustrations as well as the colors that explode on each page.

[goop · Rating 5 out of 5]

La Isla not only has detailed and beautiful illustrations, but it allows the reader to read in both English and Spanish. This would be a fantastic resource for Spanish-speaking ELLs, as it offers English translations of words they are likely already familiar with, along with detailed pictures that offer context for the story and words within the text.

[Emma Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great way to introduce Spanish vocabulary to children. Colorful pictures have great detail that leaves lots of room for discussion about different cultures.

[Mely · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little book to read and learn about hispanic Caribbean culture. Colorful illustrations and an appendix at the end translating Spanish words.

[Ashley Moser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for Hispanic heritage month. The illustrations are beautiful. Uses both Spanish and English words.

[Melinda Garman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fiction story that is filled with colorful illustrations. It is written more for 3rd through 5th grade. The text is written in English, but incorporates many words in Spanish. Throughout the text they introduce new Spanish words, but never in a careless fashion. They introduce the Spanish text along with an explanation of what the word or saying means. There is even a glossary of terms in the back of the book which includes capitalized syllables to stress pronunciation so that the teacher and students can make sure they are saying them correctly. The main character is Rosalba and her grandmother, Abuela. The story features the subgroup of the Hispanic culture that reside on the Islands; however the book does not specify which island. Abuela takes Rosalba on a “trip” through stories to the place where she grew up and raised; la isla. They meet relatives, visit the rainforest, hear old stories of Abuela growing up, and visit the market and the harbor. Throughout the story Rosalba delights in the chance to share the island life with her grandmother. She learns that even with thousands of miles between them, she can feel close to her relatives on the Islands through stories. I choose this book because it reflects a particular subgroup of the Hispanic culture and is a great story that ELL students can relate to as many of them are thousands of miles from where their parents grew up. It also helps English speaking children to learn about this culture and learn some frequently used Spanish words, which is a great way to create culturally sensitive students, and allows all children to use their imagination.

[Jessica Harden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book full of colorful illustrations, La Isla (Spanish for "The Island") is a fantasy story that involves a little girl and her Abuela (Grandma) going on an adventure when the Grandma tells the little girl a story. They fly to the island that the grandmother grew up on and explore the surrounding there. The little girl meets family members and experiences the life that her grandmother lived as she grew up on the island. After a fun day, they fly back home to New York.
I believe children will find the book captivating, in regards to the colorful illustrations, easy-to-follow (yet fun) plot, and choice of language and writing style used. The characters, who are realistic people (who just happen to fly), are fun to follow as they embark on their nostalgic adventure. The story portrays the characters that they meet in a way that is not generalized, but in a way that captures the lifestyles of real people in that cultural group. I would recommend this book for elementary aged, ELL students, because it is a great starter book for introducing English vocab. :) I'm a fan of the book.

Note: The book is, in a way, a sequel to Arthur Dorros' Abuela in regards to the plot. However, it is its opposite in a sense that La Isla is bilingual with majority Spanish text with a few English vocabulary sprinkled in.

[Julia Somer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a young girl, Rosalba, and her grandmother, Abuela, who is sharing memories of her home. Abuela is from an island called Isla. Rosalba feels disconnected from her family’s culture. Through storytelling and learning their native language, Spanish, she begins to feel connected. Rosalba says she wishes she could visit the island, but her Abuela reminds her that through speaking their language and remembering Isla, they can carry on the tradition of their family.This book spreads the message that language is the passageway to their culture. This is an interesting story, but there is not really a problem/resolution or a rich storyline. The illustrations were vibrant and eye-catching. The language in this story is not very complex. They would say a word in Spanish, then explain what it meant in English. It does teach you a few words, however, and there is a glossary in the back of the book. Although it is lacking in depth, this story gives you an inside look at how families use language to connect with their home cultures.

[Kraig Barth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really fun read. I love that the author used the story about the little girl's heritage to expose the reader to bilingualism. The author did a great job incorporating the new Spanish vocabulary into the story, and then provides the reader with the English translation of the word. The story itself was so creatively written, as a young girl responds with elaborate imagination to the stories that her grandmother shares with her about her home island. This book is a great tool for both Spanish teachers and early childhood teachers who want to expose their students to a bilingual atmosphere. I would definitely recommend this book and enjoyed myself while reading it.

[Kallie Krammes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great. It includes Spanish and English words which ties the story of two cultures and languages together. This would be great for a class that has Hispanic students and Spanish speakers in it because they would feel like their language is incorporated in the lesson and it would show the smoothness of the two languages coming together. I believe this would be great for a diversity lesson or a glimpse into a new culture. Also utilizing some new Spanish words could help all the kids feel togetherness.

[Angela]

This is a great English book that incorporates some Spanish into the text. The Spanish is introduced in a way to help English speakers learn the vocabulary. It also gives a good connection point for ELLs because they may already know and use some of the words included in the book. The illustrations are bright and colorful, so I would use them to develop some great descriptor words (adjectives) in both English and Spanish for the students.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great book and could he a challenging book because of the few Spanish words it has in it. You could use this in a lesson when talking about different languages around the world. When reading the book you could ask the students to guess what the Spanish word is before you continue reading. It could also be used when talking about how life was different back when our grandparents were younger compared to today.

[Megan MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about another adventure with Rosalba and her grandmother. Rosalba is imagining a trip to the Caribbean island where her abuela is from. She imagines spending time with her relatives and visiting the beautiful rainforest. This story shows the importance of knowing your family history and past and loving your family heritage.

[Kristin Hamrock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another story about Rosalba and her grandmother. This time, we go on a journey to abuela's home country, a Carribbean island, where we meet her relatives through her eyes. We are shown places of significance on this imaginative ride around the isla. Spanish phrases are incorporated, helping students who are trying to learn the language.

[Scott Roark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagination abound in this story of a girl and her grandmother "fly" to the island where she grew up. Many Spanish terms are used in the book which is a great bridge for ELL students. Good book to use for text-to-self connections. Children could write a short story of where they would go with a family member and discuss unique items from there. Illustrations are made with vibrant colors.

[Liliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful family book to read to children about using your imagination. In this book, the girl uses her imagination to visit where her mom grew up. On the her journey, she visits lots of family members.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this because a certain Caribbean island is very close to my own heart. It is important to me that my children feel connected to their own ancestors who lived in the Caribbean and spoke Spanish.

[Helen Kumpel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for: ESOL, 3-5
Science: Islands
Reflection:
This is a great book about introducing Spanish vocabulary. Lots of vibrant illustrations about island life and culture. Students can see how the Spanish vocabulary pairs with the English words and make connections with the pictures.

[Garrett Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about a young girl and her grandmother who use their imagination to travel to the island or isla her grandmother grew up on! A great book that incorporates some Spanish words and would be a great book to have in the classroom for ESL students!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore the illustrations and love how Spanish and English are blended easily-with a glossary at the back!

[Mochapelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

we loved reading this book!!

[Vee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminds me of Flotando En La Cancion de Mama.

[Yamile Méndez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A family favorite!

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alissa enjoyed the scene in the water when everyone is floating.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a DELIGHTFUL book!!! I enjoy the story, but even more I love the artwork of Elisa Kleven!