Jose! Born to Dance: The Story of Jose Limon (Tomas Rivera Mexican-American Children's Book Award (Awards))
Grade 2-4–This story of a young Mexican boy with dreams works better as a picture book than a true biography. Brief anecdotes, presented like a slide show, take readers from Limón's birth through a happy childhood, the Mexican civil war, immigration and adaptation to the United States, and his struggle to become a painter, and then a dancer, in New York City. Colón's watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations on textured paper give a sense of movement and life. Colors are muted, backgrounds are somewhat impressionistic, and there is more energy in the art than in the very simple text. Short sentences, Spanish words scattered about (defined both in context and in a brief glossary on the copyright page), and some rhythm and sound effects make this a good read-aloud, though the lack of emotion at such pivotal moments as the outbreak of war, a mother's death, and Limón's leaving his elderly father for New York, is a weakness. The book gives little sense of the importance of Limón's life as a dancer and choreographer, and his transition from struggling painter to successful dancer is oddly abrupt. A historical note addresses his adult life and impact on dance history. Use this as a story or to pique the interest of children in this artist, but not as a biography.–Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FLCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.