Amelia's Road - Hardcover

Linda J. Altman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1880000040 ISBN 13: 9781880000045

Publisher: Lee & Low Books, 1993

Synopsis

Amelia Luisa Martinez hates roads. Los caminos, the roads, take her migrant worker family to fields where they labor all day, to schools where no one knows Amelia's name, and to bleak cabins that are not home.

Amelia longs for a beautiful white house with a fine shade tree in the yard, where she can live without worrying about los caminos again. Then one day, Amelia discovers an "accidental road." At its end she finds an amazing old tree reminiscent of the one in her dreams. Its stately sense of permanence inspires her to put her own roots down in a very special way.

The richly colored illustrations bring to life the landscape of California's Central Valley farmland. Amelia's Road is an inspirational tale about the importance of home.

About this title

About the Author:

Linda Jacobs Altman is the author of Amelia's Road, also published by Lee & Low, and named a "Choices" selection by the Cooperative Children's Book Center. Altman, who lives in Clearlake, California, frequently writes for the educational market.

Enrique O. Sanchez has illustrated numerous award winning children's books. A native of the Dominican Republic, he splits his time between his homes in Bass Harbor, Maine, and Miami, Florida.

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A poignant yet gentle portrayal of the lives of migrant children. Constantly on the move, Amelia's family records events by crops not dates, carries with them only what will fit in the car, and are never anywhere long enough to feel at home. The girl longs for a place to stay, a place where she belongs. Teachers rarely bother to learn her name, so when Mrs. Ramos does so, it is special. The child's picture of a white house with a big shade tree earns a beautiful red star. On the way home, she discovers a road leading to a tree just like the one she drew. She visits this place often, and buries a small metal box filled with her treasures there when she must leave. For the first time in her life, Amelia has a home place. The acrylic-on-canvas illustrations have a folk-art quality that works well with this story. The canvas texture shows through the paint to add an almost tactile roughness of hard labor while rich colors capture the harvest crops at their succulent best. An important title for any library serving migrant populations, Amelia's Road should be a welcome addition almost anywhere. Useful in a variety of educational units, it works equally well as a read-aloud or read-alone.
Jody McCoy, Casady School, Oklahoma City
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Lee & Low Books
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 1880000040
• ISBN 13: 9781880000045
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Enrique O. Sanchez