Synopses & Reviews
Rosa is ten years old, and she lives with her grandmother, her little brother, and her uncle in a small town in Mexico. But her mother lives in the United States, trying to earn much-needed money to send home to her family. So Rosa has not seen her mother in three years. She misses her mama all the time, but most particularly in the weeks leading up to Christmas. This year, Rosa hopes her mother will finally be able to come home for Navidad and stay with her in Santa Catarina forever.
Review
"Spanish words are part of the story, with a glossary at the end, and the combination of simple words and bold vibrant art relays the wrenching family separation from the child's viewpoint."
Review
"Ziefert's unadorned story, sprinkled with Spanish words... is brought to life by Cohen's remarkable color-saturated, Behelmans-like paintings."
Review
"...a beautiful new addition to the shelf of multicultural Christmas stories."
Review
"...the sunny ethos established by both text and picture is one of child-like faith rewarded."
Review
"Ziefert's unadorned story, sprinkled with Spanish words... is brought to life by Cohen's remarkable color-saturated, Behelmans-like paintings." Horn Book
"...a beautiful new addition to the shelf of multicultural Christmas stories." Kirkus Reviews
"Cohen's childlike yet painterly pictures...are saturated with deep and vivid color and vibrate with feeling and intensity." School Library Journal
"...the sunny ethos established by both text and picture is one of child-like faith rewarded." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Spanish words are part of the story, with a glossary at the end, and the combination of simple words and bold vibrant art relays the wrenching family separation from the child's viewpoint." Booklist, ALA
About the Author
Harriet Ziefert draws on a true story told to her by Santiago Cohen for the text of this Christmas tale. This is her first picture book collaboration with him, though they know each other from their many years in neighboring New Jersey towns.Santiago Cohen attended art school in Mexico and then pursued a master's degree in fine arts at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. He has had both individual and collective fine art exhibitions in New York and in Mexico. Santiago Cohen painted the illustrations for Home for Navidad in the small town of Malinalco, Mexico, whose church, homes, and inhabitants served as models for this book. He lives in New Jersey.