My Name Is Jorge: On Both Sides of the River
Jorge is trying to learn the ways of his new country. He wants to fit in at school, but he doesn't want to forget his homeland, Mexico. His family is still doing things like they're in the old country, but Jorge wants to find out everything he can about his new country--on the other side of the river. Learning a new language, getting a library card, taking tests, and making friends are challenges for Jorge. Just when Jorge has found a friend in Tim, his life changes once again. Told from the...
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\ Children's Literature\ - Susan Hepler\ Poems in Spanish and then in English written from the standpoint of Jorge (pronounced Hor-hay, "not George") vividly depict his experiences and feelings about coming from Mexico to the United States by crossing a river. The free verse poems are loosely arranged to form a narrative. The reader learns that a Jorge is treated by a librarian as if he is ignorant and in school as if he is stupid, but he plays with his friends and his sister, too, and occasionally his Anglo teacher shows sympathy toward his struggles in an unfamiliar culture. Several poems reveal how native Spanish speakers may not bring the same background to school as do native English speakers. Cultural misunderstandings include knowing King's birthday refers to Martin Luther King and not to a former monarch; or that old songs don't work for everyone ("This is my country, land of my birth") and that instead of the tooth fairy, a little rat comes with the new tooth. This last misunderstanding gets Jorge's little sister hauled to the principal's office because the teacher assumes there are rats in her home. But this bittersweet and sometimes angry collection ends with Jorge returning to Mexico because of the death of his Abuelita but with a gift of a baseball from his only Anglo friend. Sure to provoke thought and conversation, especially among recent immigrants who will identify with the many slights both inadvertent and intentional, this collection of the many small moments that make people feel either accepted or rejected in a new culture is a keeper. Black line illustrations, resembling linoleum cuts and showing Jorge and his classmates, reflect the book's serious tone.\ \
