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1998 Pura Belpre Award Winners
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From: Megan Schliesman <Schliesman>
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 10:56:28 -0600
One of the things that strikes me still about Parrot in the Oven is the physical environment in which Manny lives--from the house in which his mother wages a never-ending war against disorder to the sun-parched neighborhood. There is a sense of sweat and heat, and the desire to find some relief. There is a lot of tension that needs relief--and release--in the novel, and the author's describes an environment that echoes Manny's emotional condition--he is worn out, drained--the way summer heat can make you feel physically. To me, the final scene in the novel when he is watching his sisters with such tenderness and feeling so at home in his home is like stepping out of the heat and clamor of the sun into a cool, quiet place.
Steven Engelfried's comment that the narrator's poetic insights do not fit his character made me return to the text, and on the one hand I can see his point. The first-person narrative includes some insights that I cannot imagine a teenager making as they are mature poetic descriptions
("Outside, the air was a sleek and powdery ash. [87]) But they didn't interrupt the flow of the narrative or my grounding in Manny's character or his voice. Some of the descriptions may have been reaches for the character, but they were good reaches for me--I liked them because Manny's character was always true and believable to me.
I'm wondering if anyone can share teenagers' reactions to Parrot in the Oven. Steven's comment about some of the language being untrue to the character is something that might to turn readers off if they feel like the author is intruding into the narrative. Who has heard from young adult readers on this book?
Likewise, who has comments on any of the other Pura Belpre Award books? Laughing Tomatoes (Writing Honor), Spirits of the High Mesa (Writing Honor); Snapshots from the Wedding (Illustration winner), Gathering the Sun (Illustration Honor), En Mi Familia (Illustration Honor); The Golden Flower (Illustration Honor). Have you used any of these books with children? What are your insights on the titles?
Megan Schliesman (schliesman at mail.soemadison.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education UW-Madison 600 N. Park St., Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706 608&2?03
Received on Wed 18 Mar 1998 10:56:28 AM CST
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 10:56:28 -0600
One of the things that strikes me still about Parrot in the Oven is the physical environment in which Manny lives--from the house in which his mother wages a never-ending war against disorder to the sun-parched neighborhood. There is a sense of sweat and heat, and the desire to find some relief. There is a lot of tension that needs relief--and release--in the novel, and the author's describes an environment that echoes Manny's emotional condition--he is worn out, drained--the way summer heat can make you feel physically. To me, the final scene in the novel when he is watching his sisters with such tenderness and feeling so at home in his home is like stepping out of the heat and clamor of the sun into a cool, quiet place.
Steven Engelfried's comment that the narrator's poetic insights do not fit his character made me return to the text, and on the one hand I can see his point. The first-person narrative includes some insights that I cannot imagine a teenager making as they are mature poetic descriptions
("Outside, the air was a sleek and powdery ash. [87]) But they didn't interrupt the flow of the narrative or my grounding in Manny's character or his voice. Some of the descriptions may have been reaches for the character, but they were good reaches for me--I liked them because Manny's character was always true and believable to me.
I'm wondering if anyone can share teenagers' reactions to Parrot in the Oven. Steven's comment about some of the language being untrue to the character is something that might to turn readers off if they feel like the author is intruding into the narrative. Who has heard from young adult readers on this book?
Likewise, who has comments on any of the other Pura Belpre Award books? Laughing Tomatoes (Writing Honor), Spirits of the High Mesa (Writing Honor); Snapshots from the Wedding (Illustration winner), Gathering the Sun (Illustration Honor), En Mi Familia (Illustration Honor); The Golden Flower (Illustration Honor). Have you used any of these books with children? What are your insights on the titles?
Megan Schliesman (schliesman at mail.soemadison.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education UW-Madison 600 N. Park St., Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706 608&2?03
Received on Wed 18 Mar 1998 10:56:28 AM CST
