Queridos lectores,
This week we chose the book Under the Lemon Moon by author Edith Hope and illustrator René King Moreno. Published in 1999, it is also available in Spanish under the title Bajo la luna limón. This story circles around a little girl, Rosalinda, who lives with her family in a rural town. She wakes up one night to witness a man stealing from her lemon tree, leaving it without a single fruit. This event leaves Rosalinda shaken, but with a firm resolution.
The next day she tries to get advice on how to make her tree flourish again, but she does not succeed, at first. Her grandmother tells her about a woman called la anciana, who might help her tree if she asks for her help. Her grandmother lights a candle and tells her granddaughter that no one knows where to find her but “she comes when she is needed.”
While our protagonist searches for the mysterious anciana, we as readers are rewarded by following her through colorful and detailed illustrations that show us the day to day life of the town. It gives us vivid insight into the life and the world of the little girl. While Rosalinda looks for la anciana, she runs into the man who had stolen from her tree and finds that he was selling the lemons to sustain his family. One of the defining characteristics of this story is that it is deceivingly simple but addresses topics such as hunger, necessity, empathy, and compassion.
At the end, Rosalinda is found by la anciana, and she shares the wonders of her encounter with the town and with the man that stole from her tree. One of the main values the story seeks to convey is that of sharing and being able to see beyond our own experiences, and the ways in which our own lives can intersect and impact others’ lives.
- To read more about how to introduce this book in a classroom, visit the publisher website, Lee & Low Books.
- To learn more about the author, visit her official web page.
- To learn more about the illustrator’s work, visit her official site
Nos vemos pronto,
Carolina
Citation: The above images were taken from the book Under the Lemon Moon .
Saludos todos! This week we are continuing our monthly theme of love with an especially heart-warming book, Under the Lemon Moon, written by Edith Hope Fine and illustrated by Rene King Moreno. This lovely story specifically focuses on themes of forgiveness, generosity and personal growth, expanding our theme of love to include other feelings, values, and personal goals.
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