Reviews of Tortillas and Lullabies/Tortillas y
Cancioncitas
". . . gently celebrates the small daily gifts that mothers and daughters
exchange, and by making the girl in each picture about the same age, Reiser
shows how traditions continue generation after generation. The illustrations,
attributed to Corazones Valientes in the book's imprint, were actually done
collaboratively by six women who live in Costa Rica. They are painted in a folk
art style, in rich colors glowing with intensity. Pair this with Betsy Hearne's
Seven Brave Women."
From: review by Susan Dove Lempke,
Booklist, 04/01/98
". . . Reiser infuses the often mundane actions of daily life with a sense of
tradition and great love in a vibrantly illustrated, bilingual picture book
that captures the rhythms of life. . . . Placing the English text at top of
every page and the corresponding Spanish text at the bottom creates a unique
border for the lush, colorful illustrations, created by a consortium of Costa
Rican women known as the ``Valiant Hearts.'' The bright, richly detailed
pictures are almost overwhelming as they draw readers' eyes into the lives
portrayed. Elements within each picture identify the era (one dress is washed in
a stream, another in a washing machine) and provide children with something of a
searching game for details that demonstrate the passing of time. . . . "
From: Kirkus Reviews , 05/11/98
For further information, see the author's discussion of this book in:
Reiser, L. (1998). Going from but to and: Challenges in creating a
pair of picture books from different cultures. Horn Book, 74, 578-586.
