Omar S. Castañeda (1954–1997)

I liked this book for two reasons. First, I liked the book because of the plot. Abuela’s Weave is about a girl, Esperanza, and her grandmother. Esperanza knows that they must sell the items they weave in order to help her family; the problem is that she must go with her grandmother. Her grandmother, however, has a big birth mark on her face. Afraid that people may not want to buy anything from the family, the grandmother stands from a distance. The plot of the story is that Esperanza must walk the streets feeling alone in a big crowed market. When she finds a place for her items, she looks all around to see that the other people are also selling beautiful items. She then sees that people start to buy from her. The thing that catches people’s attention from Esperanza’s items are the elaborate weaving. She is glad her grandmother taught her how to weave. Second, I liked the illustrations. On each page you can see the vibrant colors and patterns that many indigenous native use. You can see why the people at the market bought things from Esperanza. It has many bright purples, reds, and blues. The message of this book is to never doubt your skills. Skills are passed down from generations to generations.… (mer)

This book is about a young girl named Esperanza and her Abuela. They are weaving blankets for a festival and the big idea of the story is patience is virtue. I liked this book because of the descriptive language. The author wrote the story in English but weaved in some Spanish words as well. For example, "Esperanza, however, wore her favorite huipil: it was a white blouse with red, blue, and green threads in a rectangular collar." I also really liked the characters. I felt as though they were well developed and believable. The plot was also really organized and well paced.… (mer)

This book did a fantastic job sharing the message that hard work pays off while introducing Guatemalan culture. This story did this through the eyes of a little girl as she follows her grandmother making weaves to sell at the local market. Castaneda did a fantastic job sharing details about Esperanza’s culture and including Spanish terms throughout the book. Sanchez created many beautiful images to showcase the stunning weaves and scenery. I think this book would be great for older elementary students beginning to learn about culture.… (mer)