Amada Irma Pérez, illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez,
My Very Own Room / Mi propio cuartito
Children’s Book Press, 2000.

Virgina Woolf had one. A small pig named Poinsettia in Felicia Bond’s Poinsettia and Her Family wanted one. And now a girl with five young brothers wants one, too. What is it? A place to be alone. "A little space was all I wanted, but there wasn’t much of it. Our tiny house was shared by eight of us, and sometimes more when our friends and relatives came from Mexico and stayed with us until they found jobs and places to live."

For someone "almost nine," a corner behind a curtain would be the perfect place to read, write, and dream. A place for solitude. But lots of things are stored there - a sewing machine and garden tools and furniture and clothes! However, "like a mighty team of powerful ants," the family pitches in to clear the space. Paint goes up, a bed is found, a crate becomes the table. That night, two little brothers - former bedmates - hesitate outside. Their sister asks them in and reads them a story before they say good-night and leave. No one feels put out by the change of arrangements.

It’s a simple tale - no miracles, no twists - told bilingually, with glowing illustrations of a family "making do" and filling every inch of life with love, security and joy. At the edge of things, a thoughtful mother notices her daughter’s changing needs and lends an all-important hand.

Mary Lou Burket
Fall 2000