Juana followed her sister to the first day of school when she was only 3. She desperately wanted to learn how to read. The teacher let her stay, and ever since then, Juana dedicated her life to writing and reading.
Children are innately curious. This book shows what allowing curiosity to blossom can do for a child. ( )

From the time she was a very small girl, Juana Inés had loved books. Even before she could read, she liked to sit, surrounded by the volumes of her Abuelo's library. Only three years old, when she followed her sister to school, Juana told the teacher that she would be "quiet like the turtle," if allowed to stay and learn. Eventually sent to live with relatives in Mexico City, where she could receive a better education, Juana became a lady-in-waiting at the palace of the viceroy. Here, word of her intelligence spread, leading to an examination by forty renowned scholars, who doubted that a woman could truly be learned. Little did they know that her fame would outlast their own, and that Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz would still be considered, more than three hundred years later, one of Mexico's greatest poets...

I've always been an admirer of Sor Juana, and am so glad that I happened upon A Library for Juana, while perusing the Women's History Month display at my public library this past weekend! I'd had no idea there was a children's picture-book devoted to her life, so it was a most welcome discovery. With an engaging narrative that captures Juana's passion for learning, and playful engagement with words; and gorgeously detailed watercolor and gouache illustrations, this is a wonderful book - ideal for use in introducing young readers to this renowned poet. I was already familiar with Beatriz Vidal's work, through titles such as Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: A Nandi Tale and A Gift of Gracias: The Legend of Altagracia, but this title just increased my appreciation for her artistry. Truly, this is a gem of a book! ( )

1600's, children in school in Mexico

This book is technically classified in the 800s in the Dewey system, which is used mostly for languages and rhetoric. I, however, would classify this book as a biography. It tells the simple, yet inspirational story of Juana Ines. In seventeenth century Mexico girls did not go on to secondary school or learn many skills past reading and housework. Somehow Juana Ines convinces her family to send her to school. People come from far and wide to witness her smarts and eventually Juana becomes an influential writer and nun in Mexico.

This book would be appropriate to read to younger children as the plain, yet narrative writing is easy to understand. More experienced readers should read this to be reminded that no matter who you are, an learning should and can happen no matter who you are. ( )