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Ophelia R Griffin

Ophelia R Griffin

I love to read and write, learn and teach, work and play. I enjoy visiting parks, libraries, and museums, and I do a bit of traveling. Some of my favorite activities are scrapbooking, gardening, orcharding, and cooking.

I created this Shelfari account so that I could more efficiently keep track specifically of all the good books I've... more »
  • USA
  • member since December 19 2008

Reviews

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  • My Name Is Gabito/Mi Llamo Gabito: The Life of Gabriel Garcia Marquez/La Vida De Gabriel Garcia Marquez
    • Rated 5 stars

    One of the bilingual children's books that I read most recently and thoroughly enjoyed. This is the life story of the Colombian author who wrote Love in the Time of Cholera, a novel for adults that was adapted into a movie not too long ago. Gabriel García Márquez is also the author of many other books, and was the winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize for Literature. The children's book, My Name is Gabito/Me llamo Gabito... by Monica Brown tells about this world-famous author's childhood and how he became fascinated with words and stories and how he came to share the stories from his imagination and from real-life experiences. I was truly impressed with the presentation of his life story in this book, clearly written for young children, and it is one that I would certainly recommend to any young reader (or anyone for that matter) who is interested in reading about this great Latin American writer. It is truly inspirational reading!

    Ophelia R Griffin wrote this review Tuesday, December 30 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Where Fireflies Dance/Ahi, donde bailan las luciernagas
    • Rated 5 stars

    In this beautifully illustrated children's book, written in both English and Spanish, Lucha Corpi shares some of her most vivid memories of her childhood living in a small tropical town in Mexico with her brother, her parents, and her dear "abuela" (grandmother). She describes the events with such clarity; I was able to actually picture myself there within the story, experiencing the same things she was going through, like getting caught in the rain while sneaking out to hear some of her favorite songs at a local cantina, and hearing her father's voice every night as he sang to her and her brother some of their favorite Mexican songs, as well as Argentinian tangos, Spanish ballads, and bullfighting songs called "pasodobles." I found it particularly interesting how she incorporates into this memorable tale the story of Juan Sebastian, a Mexican revolutionary, whose family her grandmother had known. I believe this is a book that young children will surely enjoy, especially if they are of Mexican heritage, though one doesn't need to be Mexican in order to appreciate it.

    Ophelia R Griffin wrote this review Tuesday, December 30 2008. ( reply | permalink )

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