From North to South / Del norte al sur

Gr 1—3—Colato Laínez, a teacher, draws upon his own and his students' immigrant stories to tell this moving story. José arrives home from school one day to find that his mother has been deported back to Mexico for having illegally entered the United States. José and his father, who has gained residency status, plan a trip to see Mamá. While spending the day in Tijuana at her shelter, they decorate her room with photographs to comfort her as she awaits word from her attorney about her reentry into the country. As the day ends, José falls asleep in his mother's lap while telling her one last story before they leave to await her return. The realistic, earth-toned, oil-on-canvas paintings and Spanish-English bilingual text appropriately capture a child's perspective on the not-so-pretty impact of immigration policies. A timely and important addition for schools and public libraries.—Rhonda Jeffers, Coweta Public Library System, Newnan, GA