Super Cilantro Girl/La Superniña del Cilantro (English and Spanish Edition)
Kindergarten-Grade 3-Esmeralda Sinfronteras, eight, worries when her mother does not return home when expected. Having crossed the border to Tijuana, she is being detained, Esmeralda's grandmother tells her, because she does not have a green card. The child carries a little bouquet of cilantro from her mother's garden into her room with her and wishes on the leaves, "shaped like hearts with wings," for her mother's return. The next morning, when Esmeralda goes to wash her hands, she notices that they are green. Washing makes them even greener-and that's just the beginning. Next her eyes, teeth, and hair turn green, and she grows to a great height-becoming Super Cilantro Girl, a sort of Jolly Green Giant who can fly to her mother's rescue. And rescue her she does, flying through the night to the border, making green plants grow over everything to foil the border patrol. The next morning, she wakes up to find that her mother is home and she is just Esmeralda Sinfronteras. Was it a dream? This intriguing fantasy raises questions and lets youngsters decide for themselves. Boxed text, yellow for English and green for the sound Spanish translation, is positioned so as not to interfere unduly with the brilliant acrylic illustrations executed in a primitive style. The story has considerable child appeal, and is a good discussion starter.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.