Maya’s Blanket

La manta de Maya
By Monica Brown, David Diaz
Hardcover: $19.95

Bilingual English/Spanish. Based on a Yiddish folk song, a young girl’s cherished baby blanket becomes old and worn over time and she finds new ways to use it as she grows up.

Description

Little Maya has a special blanket that Grandma stitched with her own two hands. As Maya grows, her blanket becomes worn and frayed, so with Grandma’s help, Maya makes it into a dress. Over time the dress is made into a skirt, a shawl, a scarf, a hair ribbon, and finally, a bookmark. Each item has special, magical, meaning for Maya; it animates her adventures, protects her, or helps her in some way. But when Maya loses her bookmark, she preserves her memories by creating a book about her adventures and love of these items. When Maya grows up, she shares her book–Maya’s Blanket/La manta de Maya–with her own little daughter while snuggled under her own special blanket.

Inspired by the traditional Yiddish folk song “Hob Ikh Mir a Mantl” (“I Had a Little Coat”), this delightful bilingual picture book puts a child-focused, Latino spin on the tale of an item that is made into smaller and smaller items. Maya’s Blanket/La manta de Maya charmingly brings to life this celebration creativity, recycling, and enduring family love.

About the Creators

Monica Brown

Monica Brown is the award-winning author of over thirty books for children, including Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/no combina, Sharuko, Maya's Blanket/la manta de Maya, Waiting for the Biblioburro, Frida and Her Animalitos, and El Cuarto Turquesa/The Turquoise Room, as well as the Lola Levine chapter book series, among many others. She is the recipient of the Christopher Award, two Américas Awards, and multiple starred reviews. Her work has been translated into a dozen languages, and has appeared in the NYTimes, The Washington Post, and on NPR's All Things Considered. When not writing for children, Brown serves as a professor of English at Northern Arizona University, where she teaches about US Latino and multicultural literature. Brown lives with her family in Flagstaff, Arizona. Her website is monicabrown.net.

David Diaz

David Diaz won the Caldecott Medal in 1995 for Smoky Night. He is the illustrator of many other popular children's books as well, including December, Roadrunner's Dance, Going Home, and Wilma Unlimited. Diaz is also an accomplished potter, and he has sold his work to collectors throughout the country. He lives in Carlsbad, California.

Awards

  • Tejas Star Reading List

    Texas Library Association (TLA)

  • Best Children's Books of the Year

    Bank Street College of Education

  • Junior Library Guild Selection

    Junior Library Guild

  • Américas Award Commended Title

    Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs

  • Notable Books for a Global Society

    International Literacy Association (ILA)

  • Bock Book Award

    Neumann University

  • Charlotte Zolotow Award Commended Title

    Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

  • CCBC Choices

    Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

  • Monarch Award

    Association of Illinois School Library Educators

Reviews

  • * "This book is a great storytime addition for school-aged children due to its sincere and simple writing that translates well in both Spanish and English, the representation of culturally diverse characters, and the underlying message of resourcefulness, imagination, and appreciation for family traditions. Readers will also be entranced by the eye-catching illustrations of Maya's ordinary-to-extraordinary life.... Thanks to the depth of the images and the thoughtful text, readers will thoroughly enjoy wondering what Maya's blanket will be next."

    - School Library Journal
  • "A familiar tale crosses cultures with almost magical ease. The story is based on the well-known Jewish folk tale in which an old, worn coat is turned into a jacket, then a vest, then a tie, here given a warm, Latino spin.... Diaz's beautiful, mixed-media illustrations feel like another sort of magic.... Readers may be eager to tell their own versions of the story--that's how magic works."

    - Kirkus Reviews
  • "[A] tender bilingual story inspired by a Yiddish folksong... The angular poses and vivid colors of Diaz's illustrations evoke the feeling of stained-glass windows in this uplifting story of passing time, enduring love, and creative reuse."

    - Publishers Weekly
  • "The traditional Yiddish folk tale of the coat that is remade, over the years, into smaller and smaller garments, becomes an ideal bilingual story in the hands of Brown, who found inspiration in her Latino andJewish heritage.... Diaz's jewel-toned mixed-media illustrations reward close attention, with clever details and a rich folkloric feel, all overlaid with a dreamy patina that makes Maya's world seem both grounded in reality and quietly magical."

    - The New York Times
  • "This graceful, contemporary retelling of the traditional Yiddish folksong 'I Had a Little Coat' blends the author's Jewish and Latina heritage boldly and beautifully.... Caldecott Medal winner Diaz's (Smoky Night, 1995) illustrations bring a vibrancy to the narrative and infuse every page with luminous colors and textures.... Though culturally specific, its themes of love, longevity, and heritage are universal. This will beloved by readers of all ages as long as there are grandmothers and grandchildren, and it is a perfect choice for bilingual storytimes."

    - Booklist

Hardcover

  • ISBN 9780892392926
  • Publication Date Jun 01, 2015
  • Trim Size 10.75 × 9.25 × 0.5 in
  • Weight 0.875 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Word Count 676
  • Interests

  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JUV / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Adaptations
  • BISAC Category 2 JUV / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Country & Ethnic
  • BISAC Category 3 JUV / Recycling & Green Living
  • Themes Bilingual, Childhood Experiences and Memories, Cultural Diversity, Fiction, Folktale / Folklore / Traditional Literature, Grandparents, Identity / Self Esteem / Confidence, Imagination, Jewish, Latinx / Latino / Hispanic, Overcoming Obstacles, Pride, Realistic Fiction, Weather / Seasons / Clothing
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 5 - 9
  • Grade Range Grades K - 4
  • Guided Reading M
  • Spanish Guided Reading M
  • ATOS Book Level 4.1
  • DRA 24
  • Lexile Code AD
  • Lexile Level 780
  • Reading Level Grades 2 - 3
  • Bebop Reading Early Fluent
  • This Book is Included in These Collections:

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      RITELL PreK-2 Collection
      Collection of 9 books: $123.55

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    • 25
      Bilingual Bestsellers
      Collection of 25 books: $398.75

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    • 73
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      Collection of 73 books: $1,227.40