Editor’s note: We continue with our 31 Days of Reading in Spanish. Check out the book review below and don’t forget to enter our weekly GIVEAWAY of $100 worth of books in Spanish! This is the last week, so you have until July 31 to enter.
BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW
Mexican cinematographer Pepe Valle got the idea for the story of Cali y Mona when he read a newspaper article about a blind young lady that had gone her 23 years of life without a guide dog. Cali’s strict Muslim parents considered dogs to be too unclean. But then she heard a story about mini ponies trained to guide the blind and she saved money for three years to get one, even though everyone told her it wouldn’t work.
We picked up Cali y Mona during this year’s LéaLA book fair in Los Angeles. I was immediately drawn to the beautiful illustrations by Margarita Sada and then blown away when I saw that the book was bilingual: Spanish and Braille. Sada also added texture to the illustrations so you can feel Mona’s hair or pass your fingers to feel Cali’s dress.
Ultimately, Cali y Mona is a beautiful story about friendship and tolerance. It also helped me teach my daughter that some people are born blind and they read with their fingers. It’s become one of our favorite books.
BOOK DETAILS
Title: Cali y Mona
Authors/Illustrators: Pepe Valle/Margarita Sada
Ages: all
Publisher/Year: FONCA/CONACULTA, 2011
ISBN: 978-607-95701-0-1
Price: $21.57 on Amazon.com
