Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood

Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Listening Library

Gift from Papa Diego

Scholastic. Inc.

A Gift From Papa Diego/Un Regalo De Papa Diego (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Turtleback Books

Carry Me Like Water

Literature & Fiction

Contemporary

Headline/Review

A Gift from Papa Diego/Un Regalo de Papa Diego

Cinco Puntos Press

Sensitively told and true to the experience of many Mexican Americans, this bilingual picture book bridges the borders that separate all families who must live far apart from their loved ones.—Booklist "...accompanied by innovative illustrations, originally modeled with clay. Reminiscent of Mexican folk art, they fit the story especially well, conveying its warmth and poignancy."—Kirkus Reviews "A tender love story of a book...a kiss on the forehead at bedtime!"—Naomi Shihab Nye "A stylist in both poetry and prose, Sáenz has now taken his magic of flight to younger readers. This is his gift to them. Parents, snuggle up to your children at night and read this delightful tale of Dieguito."—Gary Soto "La traduccíon al español es buena y el diseño del libro es atractivo."—People en Español "The tender story in A Gift From Papá Diego / Un regalo de Papá Diego by Benjamin Alire Saenz is sprinkled with Spanish expressions throughout the English version, adding to the flavor of this bilingual tale. A glossary of the terms used is provided at the end of the book. In addition, a complete Spanish text is printed on each half page. Illustrations of wonderful clay figures painted with bright colors highlight the narrative and provide an attractive graphic border. This paperback original is a debut into the world of children's books for Mr. Saenz, and he has succeeded in writing a poignant read-aloud book for young children - at once entertaining and comforting."—Barbara Bonds Thomas Benjamin Alire Sáenz was born in his grandmother’s house in Picacho, New Mexico—a farming village 40 miles north of the border between Mexico and the United States. Ben’s parents spoke mostly Spanish at home and his grandparents spoke only Spanish, so Ben learned much of his English from his brothers and sisters, his friends, and by watching cartoons on television. When he was a little boy, he was a passionate reader of comic books—Superman, Spiderman, Batman, and all the rest of the Super Heros. Ben thought it was cool that Superman could fly. Growing up, Ben discovered that he liked to write. He liked to draw and paint, too.

A Gift from Papá Diego / Un regalo de papá Diego

Children's Books

Best Children's Book of 1999, Texas Institute of Letters—now available in paper. Grandma Fina is walking through her neighborhood with her wonderful yellow umbrella. She loves her yellow umbrella! She stops to greet everyone she sees. Each one secretly thinks that Grandma Fina's ragged umbrella needs to be replaced with a new one.
Benjamin Alire Sáenz is the author of two novels—Carry Me Like Water and The House of Forgetting, which will be made into a full-length motion picture. He lives in El Paso, Texas. Gerómimo Garcia is known nationally for his illustrations in A Gift from Papá Diego, by Benjamin Alire Sáenz and Tell Me a Cuento by Joe Hayes. He lives in El Paso, Texas.

Grandma Fina and Her Wonderful Umbrellas: La Abuelita Fina y sus sombrillas maravillosas (English and Spanish Edition)

Benjamin Saenz writes, "In the desert, we live in a desert of translation." That is exactly what he sets out to do, in this, his third book of poems—translate experience into words. He writes of history and learning and death. He writes of loss and knowledge and the difficulties of coming to terms with the harsh and untamable landscape of the border. Ultimately, his elegies are "stones that praise the lives" of those who have given him words. In the tradition of Latin American literature, Saenz believes that poetry should be part of the public discourse and not shunted aside as irrelevant to our country's larger issues. Here he maps out personal, political and spiritual histories. He speaks about political and literary heroes, anti-heroes and everyday people, and he remembers his growing up Chicano in the Catholic world of the U.S./Mexico Border. From these elements, he creates a philosophy of speaking publicly as poet.

Elegies in Blue: A Book of Poems

History & Criticism

Aristotle And Dante Dive Into The Waters Of The World

SIMON AND SCHUSTER

Zach is a senior but he's in rehab instead of high school. He doesn't remember how he got there. Remembering sucks and being alive -- well, what's up with that? I have it in my head that when we're born, God writes things down on our hearts. See, on some people's hearts he writes happy and on some people's hearts he writes sad and on some people's hearts he writes crazy and on some people's hearts he writes genius and on some people's hearts he writes angry and on some people's hearts he writes winner and on some people's hearts he writes loser. It's all like a game to him. Him. God. And it's all pretty much random. He takes out his pen and starts writing on our blank hearts. When it came to my turn, he wrote sad. I don't like God very much. Apparently, he doesn't like me very much either. --Zach Benjamin Alire Saenz' new novel is a gift of honesty and poetry and heart. Zach is a beautiful young man who desperately wants to forget the unforgettable. In order to deal with his addiction, he must first deal with his lost childhood. Saenz has created one of the most unique and heartfelt friendships I've ever encountered in literature, and it's through this friendship that Zach ultimately discovers his voice. This novel sang to me from the opening page and never once hit a false note. -- Matt de la Pena I cried with Zach all the way through this book: tears of rage and sorrow -- sometimes laughing though -- and finally, tears of hope and joy. Thanks to Ben Saenz' pitch-perfect writing, Zach will stay in my heart for a long time. --Linda Sue Park

Last Night I Sang to the Monster

Teen & Young Adult

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Books by Benjamin Alire Sáenz