Biblioburro

A True Story from Columbia
This post is part of Nonfiction Monday
hosted today by Apples With Many Seeds

 

Beach Lane Books (Simon & Schuster) 

(pub. 6.8.2010)

32 pages
 
A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor and illustrator: JEANETTE WINTER

C haracter: Luis Soriana who lives in La Gloria, Columbia

 
O verview from book flap: 

      "Join Luis and his trusty burros, Alfa and Beto, as they travel far and wide to bring treasured books to eager children in the remote villages of rural Columbia.

     Based on the inspiring life of a real man and his devoted burro team, here is a book to remind us of the immense power stories have to connect us all."

T antalizing taste:
      "And far away in the hills, candles and lanterns burn as the children read borrowed books deep into their night, too."

and something more:   Jeanette Winter's picture book biography, Biblioburro, with her characteristically simple (in the best sense) text and colorful illustrations, truly captures the power of books to connect to people.  A New York Times article (Oct 19, 2008), written by Simon Romero states that the Biblioburro "idea came to [Luis Soriana] after he witnessed as a young teacher the transformative power of reading among his pupils, who were born into conflict even more intense than when he was a child."      
     The article concludes with the anecdote of an 18 year old young woman who "leafed through a copy of  'Margarita,' the classic book of poetry by Rubén Darío of Nicaragua, and began to read aloud. 

She went beyond where the heavens are

and to the moon said, au revoir.

How naughty to have flown so far

without the permission of Papa.

'That is so beautiful, Maestro,” [the young woman] said to the teacher. 'When are you coming back?'"