Product Description

When Lucita's great-uncle Armando comes to live with them, he teaches her many truths about life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2228370 in Books
• Published on: 1998-03-19
• Released on: 1998-03-19
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3ALucitita loves her T!o Armando. He is really her great-uncle, and even though he is old, he knows how to enjoy life, a gift he shares abundantly with the younger members of his family. Lucitita observes that since her t!o came to live with them "...everything and everyone is joined together." The oversized double-page spreads are arranged chronologically, from one May to the next, by which time the man has died. There is just enough foreshadowing in the flowing, evocative text to keep readers wanting to see what will happen next. Grifalconi's soft watercolor and pencil illustrations are soothing, doing a creditable job of setting a mood of gentleness, connection, and love. An excellent story for sharing one-on-one or in groups, this is similar in tone to Carmen Santiago Nodar's Abuelita's Paradise (Albert Whitman, 1992) and Pat Mora's A Birthday Basket for Tia (Macmillan, 1992), both of which celebrate cross-generational relationships.AAnn Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
A graceful chronicle of the last year in a beloved great-uncle's life, relayed month by month in the first-person narration of a Mexican-American girl. To Armando moves in with Lucitita's family after the death of his wife, Amalia. A connection is drawn between the elderly man and Lucitita and the year is filled with thoughtful exchanges between the two as she puzzles out his serene reaction to losing his wife. Readers begin to sense that To Armando is preparing Lucitita for his own passing. ``I will never leave you,'' he promises, and she realizes, after his death, that she understands. The lengthy prose is unusually well-crafted, quiet and subdued yet filled with authentic details of life in this household. To Armando is a unique person, visiting strangers in the hospital and spreading kindness wherever he goes. Grifalconi's gentle watercolors group people together in intimate moments and in larger groups that convey familial bonds. (Picture book. 5-8) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Beloved Uncle--Tio Armando
I purchased this book a few years ago as a "multicultural picture book" for my classroom. It wasn't until I read it--really read it--that I realized what a treasure I had added to our library. Tio Armando is a well-written tribute to familial love and the tender bond between generations. It is a book I would offer to a child who has lost someone they love...knowing they would understand Tia's secret for themselves: you never really lose someone you love; the memories stay with you for a lifetime. Love is real. Blessings on Florence Parry Heide and Roxanne Heide Pierce for their contribution...and to Ann Grifalconi for her touching art work. Tio Armando is a book like few others: beyond humor, beyond imagination, it is full of heart. Thank you ladies.