Francisco, a young Mexican-American boy, helps his grandfather find work as a gardener, even though the old man cannot speak English and knows nothing about gardening.
August 29, 1994
Francisco, trying to find work for his grandfather, or abuelo, who has just arrived from Mexico, acts as a liaison between Abuelo, who doesn't speak English, and Ben, who wants to hire a gardener for a day's work. Eager to earn the badly needed pay, Francisco assures Ben that his grandfather is a skilled gardener (Abuelo is in fact a carpenter). Returning at the end of the day, Ben is shocked to discover that Francisco and Abuelo stripped his field of the plants and left the weeds. Abuelo is also angered, learning only now that Francisco had lied to Ben, and refuses payment until they have done the job correctly. Recognizing the older man's integrity, Ben rewards Abuelo and Francisco with the promise of ``more than just one day's work.'' Says Ben of the plants: ``The roots are still there. If they've replanted early, they'll be alright.'' Similarly, Francisco is given a chance to start over. He changes from a naively parental figure to a child who ``had begun to learn the important things.'' The shift in the boy's role quietly suggests not only the importance of a work ethic but also Francisco's need to be a child, guided by a caring adult. With expressive, gestural watercolors, Himler, who illustrated Bunting's Fly Away Home and Someday a Tree, conveys the boy's complex relationship with his grandfather and strongly invokes both the harsh and the tender landscapes of Francisco's world. Ages 5-8.
January 1, 1995
K-Gr 3-A charming story about an elderly man who has just come from Mexico to live with his daughter and grandson Francisco in California. The boy convinces a man to hire him and his Abuelo by saying that ."..my grandfather is a fine gardener, though he doesn't know English yet," in spite of the fact that he has always lived in the city and worked as a carpenter. After their new employer drives off in his van, the two set to work-but they pull up all of the plants and leave the weeds. "We do not lie for work," Abuelo tells Francisco when he learns what they have done, and they return the next day to rectify their mistake for no extra pay. Bunting perfectly captures the intergenerational love and respect shared by these two characters and the man's strong sense of honesty and integrity. Himler's softly colored illustrations reflect the feelings of the characters and the setting.-Jessie Meudell, California Polytechnic University at Pomona
November 1, 1994
Ages 5-8. The author and illustrator of "The Wall" (1990) and "Fly Away Home" (1991) here tell a touching immigration story about the reversal of roles between child and adult. A small Mexican American boy, Francisco acts as interpreter for his "abuelo," newly arrived in California and looking for work as a day laborer. The boy speaks English for his grandfather and pushes hard, even tells lies, to get him a job as a gardener. "Abuelo"'s a carpenter, not a gardener, and he and Francisco pull out the flowers instead of the weeds. The employer is furious, but then "abuelo" takes charge and insists on working the next day without pay to put things right. Himler's watercolor and gouache paintings have warmth and urgency; they're sensitive without being maudlin. The characters of the all-male cast are wonderfully individualized: the lively boy in his Lakers cap is eager to make things happen; the grandfather is bewildered but with an inner certainty; the employer is angry but is no monster. In the tense competition among the laborers in the hiring yard, we feel the desperation of people without work. The family drama captures that universal immigrant experience in which the child must help the adult interpret the new world, while the wise adult still has much to teach the child about enduring values. ((Reviewed November 1, 1994))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1994, American Library Association.)
April 14, 1997
A boy lies to secure work for his grandfather, newly arrived from Mexico; Himler's "expressive, gestural watercolors... strongly invoke both the harsh and tender landscapes of ," said PW. Ages 5-8.