Gracias / Thanks (English and Spanish Edition)

by Pat Mora

Hardcover, 2009

Status

Available

Local notes

E Mor

Barcode

3999

Publication

Lee & Low Books (2009), Edition: Bilingual, 32 pages, $$17.95 (Jan. 2018)

Description

A young multiracial boy celebrates family, friendship, and fun by telling about some of the everyday things for which he is thankful.

Awards

Golden Kite Award (Winner — 2010)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — Picture Books — 2012)
Pura Belpré Award (Honor Book — Illustration — 2010)

Original language

Spanish

Original publication date

2009

Physical description

32 p.; 8.75 inches

User reviews

LibraryThing member crochetbunnii
Personal Response:
I really enjoyed the positive tone of this book and how the boy is gracious for even the small things in his life. The double-page pictures are very intricate and portray the beauty the boy sees in everything around him.

Curricular Connections:
This book could be part of a bilingual
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story time. I would really like to present this story with a spanish speaker where both blocks of text could be read to the children.

This book could also be an introduction to have kids create a list of things they are thankful for, maybe as part of a Thanksgiving themed library program.
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LibraryThing member bogreader
What are you grateful for? Join a boy as he lists daily things and activities that he is thankful for in this English and Spanish language book.
LibraryThing member GayWard
A young multiracial (Hispanic-American) boy celebrates family, frienship, and fun by telling about some of the everyday things for which he is thankful.
LibraryThing member shelf-employed
A small boy is thankful for the many small things that we often take for granted,

"For the ladybug that landed on my finger, a little red flying surprise, thanks. ... For my little brother, who threw mashed peas at my sister and made me laugh so hard I fell off my chair, thanks."

Each sentence is
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presented on a double-spread page, with Spanish appearing on one page and English on the next. The illustrations are done in a warm and weathered style, reminiscent of a well-worn, favorite desk or chair. The narrator is of Hispanic descent, his mother appears to be white, friends and schoolchildren are of varying races. All are portrayed with slightly oversized heads, highlighting soft and friendly features. Hispanic influence is prominent throughout the book - Spanish language books on the shelves, a brightly colored tile floor, palm trees, a red-tiled roof. His American side is apparent in the US dollar received from Abuelita, his baseball gear and posters, his English language homework, and sadly (humorously?) the garden gnome in the yard.

A cheery and light-hearted book of gratitude. Perfect for storytime and as a gentle reminder that we all have much to be thankful for; sometimes the little things are the most precious.
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LibraryThing member ashcamp2086
We like the spanish words and it had good description. It was funny when he threw peas at his brother. It has good manners. It's good that he enjoys his life. Don't like that every sentences ends with the word "thanks."
LibraryThing member lquilter
I really loved this very sweet story of a little boy who finds so much to say gracias for -- family, food, sunshine, friends, etc.
LibraryThing member Laceyjo10
Review: A young boy goes through his day giving thanks for all that he has, does and experiences. The boy shares, in first person, in both Spanish and English.

Genre: Gracias Thanks is an example of Realistic Fiction/Multicultural. The boy goes through his day doing realistic things that a young
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boy would do, like reading a book, going to his Grandma’s, etc. The story is also a great example of a multi-cultural text because, it is told in both Spanish and English. The bilingual text lends itself to a linguistically diverse classroom.

Plot: This book is a great example of episodic plot. Each event that the boy is thankful for is not connected through the normal rising and falling actions of a story. There is no climax that is central to the story. The theme of being thankful is woven throughout each episodic event that the boy experiences.
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LibraryThing member KelseyPrentice
This book is about a little boy who is recalling everything he is thankful for. Every sentence is translated into both English and Spanish. Some of the things he is thankful for is his brother who makes him laugh by throwing peas on his sister, the ladybug that landed on his finger, his family,
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chocolate, pajamas, etc.
Critique (Genre): This is a great example of realistic fiction because all of the things the little boy is thankful for are things that are in most young children's lives. They are also simple and straightforward enough things that children would be able to understand them and be thankful for them themselves.
Media: Acrylics on illustration board
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LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
A young boy lists the many things for which he is grateful in this bilingual picture-book from Pat Mora, a prolific Mexican-American children's author, whose many excellent titles include Tomás and the Library Lady and A Library for Juana: The World of Sor Juana Ines. From the rising of the run,
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which prevents him from sleeping so long that he awakens an old man with a beard, to the air-like softness of the pajamas he puts on at night, the boy finds delights large and small in his day, giving thanks for each.

Although there really isn't much of a story, as such, Gracias/Thanks is still an immensely appealing book, with a narrative that emphasizes all the many simple things that, though we don't think of them that often, make life pleasant, and acrylic artwork that perfectly captures the happy feeling of the text. I don't know that anything really stood out to me, but taken all together, I found the experience of reading this book very satisfying, and I think younger readers will feel the same. Recommended to anyone looking for stories about thankfulness, or for quality bilingual English-Spanish titles.
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LibraryThing member lvalido
This book makes you connect with the little things in life to be thankful for. There are passing moments that can bring a joyful, heartwarming experience. Everyone should take a few moments to reflect upon.what things make them thankful. It is written in both Spanish and English along with bright
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cheerful illustrations to compliment the story.
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LibraryThing member fwaldm1
I liked this book for three reasons. First, I liked how descriptive and unique the language is in this book. The poetic writing throughout the book flows in both Spanish and English. Every page written throughout the book is written in both languages, which allows the reader to practice both the
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English and Spanish language. The sentences, “Por las espumosas que nos persiguen a mi y a ma hermana, y a veces corren hacia nostotros con un rapido PLAF, gracis” and “For the foamy waves that chase my sister and me sometimes dash after us with a fast SPLASH, thanks”. Is an example of how two descriptive sentences with the same meaning were written in two languages. The writing was definitely engaging and relatable. Elementary school kids at this age level are usually learning a second language in school or have a kid in their classroom that speaks another language. This book can either teach/help students learn Spanish or English. Also, it can show what it takes for their classmate to hear another language they don’t know throughout each school day. Second, the illustrations were very powerful, as they very colorful and drawn with detail. The drawings added depth to the text, as they captured what was going on throughout the story as well as showed you the Mexican culture. Lastly, the young boy, the main character, was believable and well developed. He was biracial Mexican/ Caucasian, which appears to be bicultural. The boy’s mother is fair-skinned and has a father who is Latino. His character development relates back to why the book was written in both English and Spanish. The main idea of this book is being thankful. The book shows that the simple things in life bring happiness.
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LibraryThing member jfoti
I liked this book so much because I loved how it was written in both Spanish and English. I believe that it is increasingly important for children to be exposed to new languages and I believe that it is a wonderful idea to utilize children's books to aid in this endeavor. I think that this book
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would be wonderful for a student who is beginning to learn either English or Spanish, and they can use the pictures and the words in the other language to help them learn and grow as a speaker of a new language. I think that this was a very clever idea and can be utilized not only to help kids learn a language, but to also unify the languages and cultures through stories.
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LibraryThing member pussreboots
Gracias / Thanks by Pat Mora won the 2010 Golden Kite Award. It's the story of a boy from a multiracial family and his experiences growing up. I was first introduced to this book in the materials for children ages 5 to 8 class I took in Spring 2011.

Told in both Spanish and English, Gracias /
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Thanks, is a list of things a boy is grateful for. The list includes family, friends, nature, and other things from his daily life. John Parra's playful acrylic paintings capture the joy the boy experiences through out the book. After reading the book, children could be asked to list what they are thankful for.

Gracias / Thanks is a very happy book. It's all about taking joy in the little details of life: the sun, the crickets, friends and family.
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LibraryThing member Rsantoyo13
Realistic fiction, This book is about a kid who is very thankful for what he has in his everyday life. For example he says thank you to the sun for shinning so bright and thank you for his grandma who winks and him and gives him a dollar. The book shows us we need to be thankful for life.
LibraryThing member sarahetuemmler
This book is written in Spanish and in English and is about a boy expressing what he is thankful for. He expresses greatfullness for his bed to sleep in and his family who takes care of him no matter what. He is thankful for his siblings and the food his parents give him. The main focus on the book
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is thankfulness. This book would be an example of modern fantasy.
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LibraryThing member NatalieCJones
This book is both English and Spanish, and goes though the life of a little boy. It talks about all the good things that he is thankful for in his life. This is kind of like a poem, realistic fiction. It repeats the same thing, using different things he is thankful for. It is pretty straight
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forward, the things he is thankful for are unique, because they have the potential to be bad situations, but he looks at the positive side of it.
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LibraryThing member KinderelHodgson
I really enjoyed this book. The first reason I enjoyed the book was because it was a bilingual book. In the book on each page the words were in English and in Spanish. For example, “Por mama, que encontró mi tarea en la basura, gracias.” “For mom, who found my homework in the trash,
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thanks.” Another reason I enjoyed the book was because the little boy was so thankful for things in his life. For example, “For the sun that wakes me up so I don’t sleep for years and years and grow a long, white beard, thanks.” I really love when people are thankful for what they have. Another example of the little boy being thankful is “For my old pajamas, so soft they feel like I’m putting on air, thanks.” The big message of the story is that you should be thankful for what you have and always give thanks. The little boy shows his thankfulness throughout the book, which made me enjoy reading it.
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LibraryThing member ebecker13
This realistic fiction book is about a boy who is thankful for many things in his life.
LibraryThing member Galiana.Carranza
This book is perfect for both Spanish and English speaking families and children. I think it is important we teach and learn to be thankful for everything in our lives
LibraryThing member adaq
I really loved this very sweet story of a little boy who finds so much to say gracias for -- family, food, sunshine, friends, etc.
LibraryThing member reader1009
diverse picture books (bilingual Spanish/English - gratitude / preschool-kinder and up)
* Prominently features diverse characters: yes, features mainly Latinx-looking people--the MC is a hispanic-looking boy (who happens to have a blond mom).
* great for preschool/kinder storytime: the story is
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quieter, but the text is sweet and I think older preschoolers/kindergarteners (or older/mixed grades) would appreciate this.
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Pages

32

Rating

½ (47 ratings; 4)
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