Uncle Rain Cloud - Hardcover

Gr 1-3-Carlos's personal name for his T'o Tom s is "Uncle Rain Cloud," because he so often seems grumpy and discontented. His uncle becomes especially angry at the supermarket and when he picks Carlos up from school-both places where Carlos must translate for him. However, at home in the evening, when T'o Tom s tells stories of the old Mexican gods, he is assured, fluent, and energetic. One evening after harsh words are exchanged, the man finally tells his nephew how ashamed he is of being afraid to speak "el Blah-Blah," his term for English. Suddenly, Carlos understands. He, too, felt self-conscious about his imperfect understanding of the language when he first came to the United States. In a satisfying resolution, Carlos teaches his uncle English and T'o Tom s teaches him the old stories in their native Spanish. This concise tale about bridging cultures, languages, and generations will strike a chord with many children who are both learning English and translating for their families. The sensitive telling may also help monolingual children understand their classmates who are in that situation. Brisk pacing, sympathetic characters, and clear prose that uses embedded Spanish words effectively make a winner. VandenBroeck's acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations flesh out the narrative in soft, bright colors enhanced by dramatic shading. This could be used with Pat Mora's The Rainbow Tulip (Viking, 1999) or Jane Medina's My Name Is Jorge (Boyds Mills, 1999) to highlight the challenges faced by Hispanic students-and their various ways of triumphing.-Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA

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