Digging for Words: José Alberto Gutiérrez and the Library He Built
by Angela Burke Kunkel (Author) Paola Escobar (Illustrator)
A gorgeous and inspiring picture book based on the life of José Alberto Gutiérrez, a garbage collector in Bogotá, Colombia who started a library with a single discarded book found on his route.
In the city of Bogatá, in the barrio of La Nueva Gloria, there live two Joses. One is a boy who dreams of Saturdays-- that's the day he gets to visit Paradise, the library. The second Jose is a garbage collector. From dusk until dawn, he scans the sidewalks as he drives, squinting in the dim light, searching household trash for hidden treasure . . . books! Some are stacked in neat piles, as if waiting for José. Others take a bit more digging. Ever since he found his first book, Anna Karenina, years earlier, he's been collecting books--thick ones and thin ones, worn ones and almost new ones-- to add to the collection in his home. And on Saturdays, kids like little Jose run to the steps of Paradise to discover a world filled with books and wonder.
With an evocative text by a debut author, and rich, stunning illustrations from an up-and-coming Colombian illustrator, here is a celebration of perseverance, community, and the power of books.
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Publishers Weekly
Spotlighting José Alberto Gutiérrez, who founded the first library in his Bogotá barrio by rescuing books from the trash, this moving tale details the power and pleasure of books, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Gutiérrez's foundation, La Fuerza de las Palabras. Employing the present tense, Kunkel absorbs readers with graceful prose that seamlessly incorporates Spanish, centering two Josés: one is a child who loves the library, one is the nighttime garbage collector who established it. With its small text size and elevated diction, the prose may initially intimidate, but paragraphs prove engaging ("The day stretches out/ before him, like the streets, / like the hills"). Stylized digital illustrations by Escobar richly enhance the nonfiction narrative, and an author's note offers more about Gutiérrez as well as selected online sources. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2—This is a story of literacy and two Josés, both look forward to Saturday. On that day, the older José, a garbage collector who carefully gathers books that have been discarded, will open the doors to his collection and share it with the children of their barrio, including the young boy, José. The lyrical text weaves together the daily routines of both Josés, showing elements of their day in Bogotá, Colombia, and the scenes that play out in their imaginations when they discover a new world inside a book. The digitally painted illustrations capture the joy of anticipation and discovery as well as loving details of the barrio of La Nueva Gloria, where there was no library until 2000. An author's note expands on the true story that inspired this book, as well as suggesting sources for more information about Gutiérrez. An inviting and generous story that will be a pleasure to read aloud. VERDICT Recommended, particularly for fans of books such as Anika A. Denise's Planting Stories, also illustrated by Escobar, and as a city-set complement to Jeanette Winter's Biblioburro.—Amanda Foulk, Sacramento P.L.
Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV030040 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Caribbean & Latin America
JUV004070 - Juvenile Fiction | Biographical | Latin America
Books and reading
Colombia
Bogotaa (Colombia)
Gutiaerrez, Josae Alberto
