Luca's Bridge/El Puente de Luca
by Mariana Llanos (Author) Anna Lopez Real (Illustrator)
Luca has never lived outside the U.S., but when his parents receive a letter in the mail, the family must pack up and leave home for a strange land.
Together in their car, Luca, his brother Paco, and their parents head across the border to Mexico where his parents were born. Luca doesn't understand why he must leave the only home he's ever known, his friends, and his school. He struggles through lonely and disorienting times--reflected both in Real's delicate, symbolic illustrations and through Llanos' description of his dreams--and leans on music, memory, and familial love for support. Luca's Bridge / El puente de Luca is a story for everyone about immigration, deportation, home, and identity.
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Review quotes
"Teachers, this is a wonderful book for summer camps, assigned for summer reading, or to be used next school year. It works well for studying and discussing themes of immigration, deportation, family separation, music, bridges (metaphorical), childhood, and more."—Mommymaestra.com
"Together, the narrative and images offer hope for readers experiencing this difficult situation and empathy for those who aren't. Back matter includes an author's note further discussing deportation."—Booklist
"Told in alternating English and Spanish, El puente de Luca is the timely tale of a family's resiliency, strength, and devotion as they are voluntarily deported from the United States to Mexico. Emotions run high as Luca struggles to understand why he must leave his home and everything he's ever known. Surreal images in shades of gray with golden accents surround Luca as he finds solace in his dreams and the music of his trumpet."—Foreword Reviews
"Without didacticism, without polemic, Llanos' and López Real's intent in Luca's Bridge / El puente de Luca is to spark discussion among the youngest children about what it might be like to experience immigration and deportation, and that sometimes—only sometimes—there might be hope in what appears to be hopeless situations. It's highly recommended."—De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children
"This is a lovely story and belongs in classroom libraries throughout the US to help students gain empathy and understanding or have a space for personal reflection."—Raise Them Righteous
Author Mariana Llanos is a Peruvian-born writer of children's literature. She has published several children's books, including the bilingual Luca's Bridge/El puente de Luca (Penny Candy Books, 2019), and the award-winning bilingual books Kutu, the Tiny Inca Princess (Campoy-Ada Awards ), Poesia Alada (International Latino Book Awards), Tristan Wolf (IPNE Book Awards), among others. In 2017, Mariana received the Oklahoma Human Rights Award for her work visiting schools around the world via virtual technology, to promote literacy. That same year she was selected as the Best Latino Artist by the Hispanic Arts Council of Oklahoma. Mariana developed an early love for reading and writing in her native Peru. She studied theater in Lima, but moved to the United States where she decided to pursue her passion: to become a children's author. She dedicates her time to creating multicultural, poignant, and engaging stories and lives with her husband and their three children in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Elena Napoli is an Italian illustrator and character designer who studied entertainment design at the NEMO Academy of Digital Arts in Florence. Growing up in the Italian art scene, she has drawn for as long as she can remember and has always known that making art would be her future. Starting with digital and traditional techniques, like watercolor and ecoline, Elena initially focused on animated films and then moved to illustrations. Among her interests are music, young adult fiction, children's books, indie video games, films and TV series, as well as her dream of traveling doing what she loves and finding her own place in the world. She lives in Florence, Italy.
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV039250 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emigration & Immigration
JUV011030 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - Hispanic & Latino
JUV030100 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Mexico
