Mora, Pat 1942-

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Mora, Pat 1942-

PERSONAL:

Born January 19, 1942, in El Paso, TX; daughter of Raul Antonio (an optician and business owner) and Estela (a homemaker) Mora; married William H. Burnside, Jr., July 27, 1963 (divorced, 1981); married Vernon Lee Scarborough (an archaeologist and professor), May 25, 1984; children: (first marriage) William Roy, Elizabeth Anne, Cecilia Anne. Education: Texas Western College (now University of Texas—El Paso), B.A., 1963; University of Texas—El Paso, M.A., 1967. Politics: Democrat. Religion: "Ecumenical." Hobbies and other interests: Reading, walking, cooking, gardening, museums, traveling, visiting with family and friends.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Santa Fe, NM. Agent—Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown Ltd., Ten Astor Place, New York, NY 10003.

CAREER:

Writer, educator, administrator, lecturer, activist. El Paso Independent School District, El Paso, TX, teacher, 1963-66; El Paso Community College, El Paso, part-time instructor in English and communications, 1971-78; University of Texas—El Paso, part-time lecturer in English, 1979-81, assistant to vice president of academic affairs, 1981-88, director of university museum and assistant to president, 1988-89; full-time writer, 1989—. Distinguished Visiting Professor, Garrey Carruthers chair in honors, University of New Mexico, 1999; Civitella Ranieri fellow to Umbria, Italy, 2003. Member of Ohio Arts Council panel, 1990. W.K. Kellogg Foundation, consultant, 1990-91, and member of advisory committee for Kellogg National Fellowship Program, 1991-94. Helped institute El día de los niños/El día de los libros, during National Poetry Month, to celebrate childhood and bilingual literacy, beginning April 30, 1997; with National Association to Promote Library Service to the Spanish-Speaking and Latinos, helped establish the Estela and Raúl Mora Award, 2000. Host of radio program Voices: The Mexican-American in Perspective, KTEP, 1983-84; gives poetry readings and presentations throughout the world.

MEMBER:

Academy of American Poets, International Reading Association, National Association of Bilingual Educators, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Texas Institute of Letters, Friends of the Santa Fe Library, Museum of New Mexico Foundation, Spanish Colonial Arts Society, National Council of La Raza.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Award for Creative Writing, National Association for Chicano Studies, 1983; Poetry Award, New America, 1984; Harvey L. Johnson Book Award, Southwest Council of Latin American Studies, 1984; Southwest Book Award, Border Regional Library, 1985, for Chants; Kellogg national leadership fellowship, 1986-89; Leader in Education Award, El Paso Women's Employment and Education, 1987; Chicano/ Hispanic Faculty and Professional Staff Association Award, University of Texas—El Paso, 1987, for outstanding contribution to the advancement of Hispanics; Southwest Book Award, 1987, for Borders, 1994, for A Birthday Basket for Tia; named to Writers Hall of Fame, El Paso Herald-Post, 1988; Poetry Award, Conference of Cincinnati Women, 1990; National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in creative writing, 1994; Americas Award commendation, Consortium of Latin Americas Studies Program, Choice designation, Cooperative Children's Book Center, "Children's Books Mean Business" listee, Children's Book Council, and Notable Books for a Global Society designation, International Reading Association, all 1996, all for Confetti; Premio Aztlan Literature Award, and Women of Southwest Book Award, both 1997, both for House of Houses; Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award nomination, 1997, for Pablo's Tree illustrated by Cecily Lang; Tomas Rivera Mexican-American Children's Book Award, Southwest Texas State University, 1997, Skipping Stones Book Award, 1998, and Apollo Children's Book Award nomination, Apollo Reading Center (FL), 2002, all for Tomas and the Library Lady; Book Publishers of Texas Award, Texas Institute of Letters, 1998, and PEN Center USA West Literary Award finalist, PEN West, 1999, both for The Big Sky; Pellicer-Frost Bi-national Poetry Award, 1999, for a collection of odes; Alice Louis Wood Memorial Ohioana Award for Children's Literature, 2001; Teddy Award, Writers' League of Texas, and Books for the Teen Age selection, New York Public Library, both 2001, both for My Own True Name; named Literary Light for Children, Associates of the Boston Library, 2002; Distinguished Alumna honor, 2004, from University of Texas—El Paso; Golden Kite Award, 2005, and Pura Belpre Illustrator Medal, Pura Belpre Honor Book, and ALA Notable Book designation, all 2006, all for Doña Flor; National Hispanic Cultural Center Literary Award, 2006; honorary D.L., State University of New York, Buffalo, 2006; Roberta Long Medal for Distinguished Contributions to Celebrating the Cultural Diversity of Children, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2007; International Latino Book Award for Best Poetry in English, Spur Poetry Award finalist, Western Writers of America, and Bronze Medal in Poetry, Independent Publisher Book Awards, all 2007, all for Adobe Odes.

WRITINGS:

PICTURE BOOKS; FOR CHILDREN

A Birthday Basket for Tía, illustrated by Cecily Lang, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1992.

Listen to the Desert/Oye al desierto, illustrated by Francesco X. Mora, Clarion Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Agua, Agua, Agua (concept book), illustrated by Jose Ortega, GoodYear Books (Reading, MA), 1994.

Pablo's Tree, illustrated by Cecily Lang, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1994.

(With Charles Ramirez Berg) The Gift of the Poinsettia, Piñata Books (Houston, TX), 1995, adapted as the play Los posadas and the Poinsettia.

(Reteller) The Race of Toad and Deer, illustrated by Maya Itzna Brooks, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1995, revised edition, illustrated by Domi, Groundwood/Douglas & McIntyre (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2001.

Tomás and the Library Lady (biography), illustrated by Raul Colón, Knopf (New York, NY), 1997, published as Thomas and the Library Lady, Dragonfly Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Delicious Hullabaloo/Pachanga deliciosa, illustrated by Francesco X. Mora, Spanish translation by Alba Nora Martinez and Pat Mora, Pinata Books (Houston, TX), 1998.

The Rainbow Tulip, illustrated by Elizabeth Sayles, Viking (New York, NY), 1999.

The Night the Moon Fell (retelling), illustrated by Domi, Groundwood/Douglas & McIntyre (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2000.

The Bakery Lady/La señora de la panadería, illustrated by Pablo Torrecilla, translated with Gabriela Baeza Ventura, Piñata Books (Houston, TX), 2001.

A Library for Juana: The World of Sor Juana Inés (biography), illustrated by Beatriz Vidal, Knopf (New York, NY), 2002.

Maria Paints the Hills, illustrated by Maria Hesch, Museum of New Mexico Press (Santa Fe, NM), 2002.

Doña Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart, illustrated by Raúl Colón, Knopf (New York, NY), 2005.

The Song of Francis and the Animals, illustrated by David Frampton, Eerdmans (Grand Rapids, MI), 2005.

Let's Eat! = A comer!, illustrated by Maribel Surez, Rayo (New York, NY), 2007.

Join Hands!, illustrated by George Ancona, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 2008.

POETRY; FOR CHILDREN

The Desert Is My Mother/El desierto es mi madre, art by Daniel Lechon, Piñata Books (Houston, TX), 1994.

Confetti: Poems for Children, illustrated by Enrique O. Sanchez, Lee & Low Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Uno, dos, tres/One, Two, Three, illustrated by Barbara Lavallee, Clarion Books (New York, NY), 1996.

The Big Sky, illustrated by Steve Jenkins, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1998.

My Own True Name: New and Selected Poems for Young Adults, 1984-1999 (anthology), illustrated by Anthony Accardo, Pinata Books (Houston, TX), 2001.

Love to Mama: A Tribute to Mothers (anthology), illustrated by Paula S. Barragán, Lee & Low Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Marimba!: Animales from A to Z, illustrated by Doug Cushman, Clarion (New York, NY), 2006.

Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: Americas' Sproutings (haiku), illustrated by Rafael López, Lee & Low (New York, NY), 2007.

POETRY; FOR ADULTS

Chants, Arte Público Press (Houston, TX), 1984.

Borders, Arte Público Press (Houston, TX), 1986.

Communion, Arte Público Press (Houston, TX), 1991.

Agua Santa/Holy Water, Beacon Press (Boston, MA), 1995.

Aunt Carmen's Book of Practical Saints, Beacon Press (Boston, MA), 1997.

Adobe Odes, University of Arizona Press (Tucson, AZ), 2006.

FICTION AND NONFICTION; FOR ADULTS

Nepantla: Essays from the Land in the Middle, University of New Mexico Press (Albuquerque, NM), 1993.

House of Houses (memoir), Beacon Press (Boston, MA), 1997.

Work represented in anthologies, including New Worlds of Literature, Norton (New York, NY); Revista Chicano-Ripueña: Kikirikí/Children's Literature Anthology, Arte Público (Houston, TX), 1981; Tun-Ta-Ca-Tún, Arte Público, 1986; The Desert Is No Lady: Southwestern Landscapes in Women's Writing and Art (also see below), edited by Vera Norwood and Janice Monk, University of Arizona Press (Tucson, AZ), 1997; Many Voices: A Multicultural Reader, edited by Linda Watkins-Goffman and others, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 2001; and Wachale! Poetry and Prose about Growing Up Latino in America, edited by Ilan Stevens, Cricket Books, 2001. Contributor of poetry and essays to periodicals, including Best American Poetry 1996, Calyx, Daughters of the Fifth Sun, Horn Book, Kalliope, Latina, Ms., New Advocate, and Prairie Schooner.

Mora's books have been translated into several languages, including Bengali, Italian, and Spanish.

SIDELIGHTS:

One of the most distinguished Hispanic writers working in the United States, Pat Mora is also an advocate working to advance cultural appreciation and literacy as well as conservation. An educator and speaker, Mora dedicates her writing to advance the recognition and preservation of Mexican-American culture. Her books for children, in particular, work to instill in young Latinos pride in their heritage. Characteristically, Mora's are set in the southwestern United States, often in her birthplace of El Paso, Texas, and the surrounding desert. Celebrating the Mexican-American experience while also encouraging unity among all cultures, her children's books include picture books, biographies, concept books, and retellings of Mayan folktales. In titles such as A Birthday Basket for Tía, The Gift of the Poinsettia, and The Desert Is My Mother, she shares Hispanic history, customs, and traditions with children of all cultures. A poet for adults, Mora has also compiled verse anthologies for both children and young adults and has edited or contributed to poetry collections for more general readers.

In her children's books, Mora addresses several of the subjects and themes that constitute her books for adults, such as Mexican-American culture, nature (especially the desert), and the importance of family. Her spare but evocative prose is filled with descriptions and imagery; she also includes basic Spanish phrases in her works, most of which are published in both English and Spanish. A Dictionary of Hispanic Biography essayist noted that "Mora has been essential to the movement to understand and uphold Mexican-American culture…. She provides an excellent model for young Hispanics who are just beginning to understand the past and are about to experience promising futures…. As a successful Hispanic writer, and a writer who writes about and for Hispanics, Mora is an exemplary role model for the young people of an increasingly multicultural America."

Born in El Paso, Texas, of parents of Mexican descent, Mora and her siblings were taught both English and Spanish while growing up. She often has acknowledged the influence of her maternal grandmother and aunt, who lived with the family. She attended a Roman Catholic grade school and devoured, equally, comic books, novels, and biographies of famous Americans such as Clara Barton, Davy Crockett, Amelia Earhart, Betsy Ross, William Penn, Dolly Madison, and Jim Bowie. In high school she began writing poetry, mostly religious in focus. As Mora related in a Scholastic Authors Online Library interview: "I always liked reading, and I always liked writing, but I don't think I thought of being a writer."

Although she enjoyed her family's Mexican traditions, Mora downplayed her ethnicity at school, and did not reveal to her friends that she was bilingual. "There were times when I wished that my Mexican heritage were a part of my school day," she recalled in her Scholastic Authors Online Library interview. "I wished that we had had books that had Spanish in them. And I wished that I had seen things about Mexican culture on the bulletin boards and in the library. One of the reasons that I write children's books is because I want Mexican culture and Mexican-American culture to be a part of our schools and libraries."

After graduating from high school, Mora thought about becoming a doctor, then decided to be a teacher. She attended Texas Western College (now the University of Texas—El Paso) and received her bachelor's degree in 1963. Shortly after graduation, she married William H. Burnside, Jr., with whom she would have three children: William, Elizabeth, and Cecilia. Mora began to teach English and Spanish at grade and high schools in El Paso. She earned her master's degree in 1967, then became a part-time instructor in English and communications at El Paso Community College. In 1981, she moved into administration. Several years later, after going through a divorce, she turned to her past: in addition to writing, she also began to educate herself about her heritage. Awarded for her early efforts, she published her first adult poetry collection, Chants, in 1984, the same year she married Vernon Lee Scarborough, an archeologist and professor whom she had met at college. Five years later she left her administrative job to become a full-time writer and speaker.

In 1992, Mora produced her first book for children, A Birthday Basket for Tía. A picture book inspired by an incident from the life of her aunt, the story describes how young narrator Cecilia finds the perfect present for her ninety-year-old great-aunt Tía by collecting objects that recall the many happy times they have shared. Written in a repetitive text, A Birthday Basket for Tia is both a story and a counting book that helps readers count to ninety. A Publishers Weekly reviewer called the work "poignant" and added that Mora's text "flows smoothly from one event to the next, and clearly presents the careful planning behind Cecilia's gift-gathering mission." Writing in School Library Journal, Julie Corsaro called A Birthday Basket for Tia a "warm and joyful story," while Horn Book critic Maeve Visser Knoth called Cecilia "an irrepressible child."

Featuring a multigenerational focus, Pablo's Tree is set on the fifth birthday of its protagonist, a boy who has been adopted and who lives with his single mother. Pablo is excited because he is going to be with his abuelito, or grandfather, for whom he is named. Lito has established a tradition for his grandson: every year, he decorates a special tree in the boy's honor, leaving the decorations as a surprise. In past years, the tree has been festooned with balloons, colored streamers, paper lanterns, and bird cages; this year, Lito has chosen bells and wind chimes as his theme. Pablo and Lito celebrate the day by eating apples and listening to the music coming from the tree; Lito also tells Pablo the story of the tree, which was planted when Pablo's mother adopted him. Writing in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Deborah Stevenson commented that Pablo's Tree "has a celebratory aspect that makes it appealing not just to adoptees but to kids generally.’" In Booklist, Annie Ayres called the picture book "lovely and resonant," with a story that "rings with happiness and family love."

Based on a family story from Mora's mother, The Rainbow Tulip is set in El Paso during the 1920s and features Estelita, a first-grader caught between two cultures. Estelita realizes that her heritage sets her apart: she sees her mother, who speaks no English and dresses in dark clothes, as old-fashioned. The girls in Estelita's class are dressing as tulips for the upcoming May Day parade, and she wants her costume to be different from the others. When the big day arrives, she comes dressed in all the colors of the rainbow, then successfully executes a maypole dance and wins her teacher's approval. The girl's mother then explains that being different can be both sweet and sour, much like the lime sherbet that is their favorite dessert, and Estelita recognizes her mother's quiet love for her. According to Library Journal critic Ann Welton, in The Rainbow Tulip "Mora succeeds in creating a quiet story to which children will respond…. This tale of family love and support crosses cultural boundaries and may remind youngsters of times when their families made all the difference."

Another picture book, Tomás and the Library Lady, combines two of Mora's characteristic themes: the joy of reading and the special quality of intergenerational relationships. Based on an incident in the life of Hispanic author and educator Tomás Rivera, Mora's fictionalized biography describes how young Tomás, the son of migrant workers, is introduced to the world of books by a sympathetic librarian. Tomás' grandfather has told him wonderful stories, but has run out of them; he tells Tomás to go to the library for more. At the library, Tomás meets a kindly librarian, who gives him books in English—signed out on her own card. In return, Tomás teaches Spanish to the librarian. In Publishers Weekly a critic predicted that "young readers and future librarians will find this an inspiring tale." Interestingly, Tomás and the Library Lady actually was the first of Mora's books to be accepted for publication. However, due to the difficulty in finding an appropriate illustrator, the manuscript was delayed for almost a decade before it was published, together with Raul Colón's evocative art.

Mora transports readers back to seventeenth-century Mexico in A Library for Juana: The World of Sor Juana Inés. The story focuses on the childhood of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, a nun and noted intellectual who became known for her poetry songs, and stories and who is acknowledged as one of Mexico's most noted women writers. Reviewing A Library for Juana in Kirkus Reviews, a critic praised the book as a "magnificent offering" enhanced by "exquisite gouache-and-watercolor" paintings by illustrator Beatriz Vidal that are "filled with authentic details." "Mora laces her narrative with lively anecdotes," noted a Publishers Weekly writer, and in Booklist Gillian Engberg praised the author's "inspiring … account of a Latin American woman who loved learning during a time when few women were educated." "Mora's beautifully crafted text does credit to its subject," concluded Ann Welton in School Library Journal, calling A Library for Juana "an exceptional introduction to an exceptional woman."

As a girl, Sor Juana loved to read, and in Doña Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart Mora introduces another enthusiastic reader. Set in the American Southwest, Doña Flor focuses on a giantess who is beloved by the normal-sized children living nearby. When a loud, mysterious sound is heard, terrifying the locals, the giant woman tracks down what proves to be its very surprising source. Mora graces her "economical, poetic text with vivid, fanciful touches," in the opinion of Engberg, and Colón's "signature" art injects "texture and movement," according to School Library Journal contributor Linda M. Kenton.

Folk tales and other traditional stories take center stage in books such as The Gift of the Poinsettia and The Song of Francis and the Animals. Praised by a Publishers Weekly contributor as a "celebratory" work, The Song of Francis and the Animals introduces readers to the Catholic saint who was able to communicate with animals, while The Gift of the Poinsettia tells the story of the young Mexican girl whose search for a gift for the baby Jesus is transformed into the brilliant red plant that comes into bloom during the Christmas season. In School Library Journal, Jane Barrer described Mora's text for The Song of Francis and the Animals as "more poetry than story," and Engberg concluded that Mora's text "brings close the spiritual connection between Francis and the animals." As Barrer added, David Frampton's woodcut illustrations accentuate this focus, depicting the saint's faith in the gentleness of all creatures.

Mora's first verse collection for young readers, Confetti: Poems for Children, features free-verse narrative poems that describe the American Southwest as seen through the eyes of a young Mexican-American girl. The child, who lives in the desert, describes the region and its inhabitants throughout the space of a day, from early morning to nightfall. The sun, clouds, leaves, and wind are the focus of some poems, while others feature a wood sculptor, a grandmother, and a baker. In Kirkus Reviews a critic noted that the "best of these poems that mix English and Spanish … warmly evokes familiar touchstones of Mexican-American life." Writing in School Library Journal, Sally R. Dow called Confetti a "welcome addition" and stated that the poems "capture the rhythms and uniqueness of the Southwest and its culture."

Marimba!: Animales from A to Z follows an after-hours party at a city zoo in Mora's rhyming bilingual text, as animals of all sorts turn to song as the zookeepers take a nap. In Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico! Mora's poetry takes a twist as she includes a baker's dozen of haiku introducing thirteen foods unique to the Americas. In Kirkus Reviews, a critic dubbed Marimba! as "an inviting introduction to both Spanish and the animal kingdom," and also praised the energetic, high-contrast cartoon art by Doug Cushman. Described by Booklist contributor Julie Cummins as an "inventive stew," Yum! Mmmm! features "stylized Mexican" art by Rafael Lopez.

Another verse collection, The Big Sky, celebrates the land, people, and creatures of the Southwest in fourteen poems, and also includes poems set in Mora's then home state of Ohio. Subjects include the sky, a grandmother, a huge mountain, an old snake, a horned lizard, and coyotes. A Publishers Weekly reviewer predicted that the poems in The Big Sky "will delight readers of all ages with their playfully evocative imagery," and in School Library Journal Lisa Falk dubbed it a "gem [that] is both a lovely poetry book and an evocative look at a magical place." Calling Mora's words "wonderful," Marilyn Courtot commented in Children's Literature that the collection's "spare and dramatic poems transport readers to the American Southwest."

My Own True Name: New and Selected Poems for Young Adults, 1984-1999 contains sixty poems primarily selected by Mora from among those published in her adult books. The metaphor of a cactus, which represents human existence, joins the poems thematically: blooms represent love and joy, thorns represent sorrow and hardship, and roots represent family, home, strength, and wisdom. Autobiographical, the poems address Mora's life as a Latina in the Southwest, her search for identity, and her experience as a mother. She also weaves Mexican phrases, historical figures, and cultural symbols into her poems. Writing in School Library Journal, Nina Lindsay stated that Mora verses "are accessible to, yet challenging for, teens … and … should find many readers." Calling the poems "powerful," Gillian Engberg noted in Booklist that "the rich, symbolic imagery, raw emotion, and honesty will appeal to mature teens." Delia Culberson, writing in Voice of Youth Advocates, concluded that in My Own True Name Mora "reaches out to her young adult readers with affection and encouragement."

In 1997, Mora lobbied successfully to establish a national day to celebrate childhood and bilingual literacy. Called El día de los niños/El día de los libros, the day is part of National Poetry Month. In 2000, Mora and her siblings established the Estela and Raúl Mora Award, a prize named in honor of their parents. This award, which is coordinated by REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library Service to Latinos, is designed to promote El día de los niños/El día de los libros. In an essay for Horn Book, Mora explained what has motivated her to write: "I write because I am a reader. I want to give to others what writers have given me, a chance to hear the voices of people I will never meet…. I enjoy the privateness of writing and reading. I write because I am curious. I am curious about me. Writing is a way of finding out how I feel about anything and everything….Writing is my way of saving my feelings…. I write because I believe that Hispanics need to take their rightful place in American literature. I will continue to write and to struggle to say what no other writer can say in quite the same way."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Children's Literature Review, Volume 58, Gale (Detroit, MI), 2000.

Dictionary of Hispanic Biography, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1996.

Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 209: Chicano Writers, 3rd series, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1996.

Ikas, Karen Rosa, Chicana Ways: Conversations with Ten Chicana Writers, University of Nevada Press (Reno, NV), 2001.

Mora, Pat, Nepantla: Essays from the Land in the Middle, University of New Mexico Press (Albuquerque, NM), 1993.

Mora, Pat, House of Houses, Beacon Press (Boston, MA), 1997.

This Is about Vision: Interviews with Southwestern Writers, edited by William Balassi and others, University of New Mexico Press (Albuquerque, NM), 1990.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 1, 1994, Annie Ayres, review of Pablo's Tree, p. 507; November 15, 1998, Isabel Schon, review of Tomas y la senora de la biblioteca, p. 599; March 15, 2000, Gillian Engberg, review of My Own True Name: New and Selected Poems for Young Adults, 1984-1999, p. 1377; November 15, 2002, Gillian Engberg, review of A Library for Juana: The World of Sor Juana Inéz, p. 605; December 15, 2002, Hazel Rochman, review of Maria Paints the Hills, p. 760; October 15, 2005, Gillian Engberg, review of The Song of Francis and the Animals, p. 58; December 1, 2005, Gillian Engberg, review of Doña Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart, p. 55; December 1, 2007, Julie Cummins, review of Yum! Mmmm! Que rico!, p. 45.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September, 1994, Deborah Stevenson, review of Pablo's Tree, p. 20; February, 2006, Hope Morrison, review of Doña Flor, p. 276.

Horn Book, July-August, 1990, Pat Mora, "Why I Am a Writer," pp. 436-437; January-February, 1993, Maeve Visser Knoth, review of A Birthday Basket for Tia, pp. 76-77; November-December, 1994, Maeve Visser Knoth, review of Pablo's Tree, pp. 723-724; July, 2001, Nell D. Beram, review of Love to Mama: A Tribute to Mothers, p. 468; September-October, 2005, Deirdre F. Baker, review of The Song of Francis and the Animals, p. 565.

Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 1996, review of Confetti: Poems for Children, p. 1476; November 15, 2002, review of A Library for Juana, p. 1699; August 1, 2005, review of The Song of Francis and the Animals, p. 854; September 15, 2005, review of Doña Flor, p. 1031; October 15, 2006, review of Marimba!: Animales from A to Z, p. 1075; September 15, 2007, review of Yum!

New Advocate, fall, 1998, Pat Mora, "Confessions of a Latina Author," pp. 279-289.

Publishers Weekly, August 31, 1992, review of A Birthday Basket for Tia, p. 77; July 21, 1997, review of Tomas and the Library Lady, p. 201; March 23, 1998, review of The Big Sky, p. 99; October 28, 2002, review of A Library for Juana, p. 71; June 27, 2005, review of The Song of Francis and the Animals, p. 67.

School Library Journal, September 15, 1992, Julie Corsaro, review of A Birthday Basket for Tia, p. 156; November, 1996, Sally R. Dow, review of Confetti, p. 100; July, 1998, Lisa Falk, review of The Big Sky, p. 90; November, 1999, Ann Welton, review of The Rainbow Tulip, p. 126; July, 2000, Nina Lindsay, review of My Own True Name, p. 119; April, 2001, Ann Welton, review of Love to Mama, p. 165; November, 2002, Ann Welton, review of A Library for Juana, p. 146; October, 2005, Jane Barrer, review of The Song of Francis and the Animals, p. 123; October, 2005, Linda M. Kenton, review of Doñ Flor, p. 122; September, 2007, Marilyn Taniguchi, review of Yum!, p. 185.

Voice of Youth Advocates, April, 2001, Delia Culberson, review of My Own True Name, p. 20.