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Module 5: Snapshots from the Wedding

Bibliography:
Soto, G. (1997). Snapshots from the wedding. New York, NY: G.P.    
     Putnam's Sons.

    

Book Summary:
This story is told from the perspective of Maya, who is the flower girl for Isabel at her wedding. Maya describes the day to us in interesting detail, introducing us to the ring bearer, the bride, her aunt, and many other family members. She has so much fun listening to the Marachi band, dancing on her fathers shoes, and decides to wear olives on her fingers. She even ends up with mole all over her face. She truly had a day to remember.


My Thoughts:
I was really wowed by the artwork for this book. Stephanie Garcia truly captured the moments described by author Gary Soto. I also really liked that there were some Spanish terms sprinkled in the text, making it more of a Spanglish type story. This story rich in Latin American culture is a treat for readers of all ages! 
 

Professional Reviews:

*From Soto (Off and Running, 1996, etc.), a celebratory, child's-eye look at a wedding that captures the traditional mingling of the surreal and the sublime. A flower girl, Maya, tells in a pitch-perfect accent about the groom, Rafael, who is at the altar with his arm in a cast (he slid into home playing softball and scored, but broke his wrist), and a host of other relatives and strangers. Crying babies, the altar boy's dirty sneakers, an inconvenient sneeze, and the glow in the bride Isabel's eyes are reported with equal fervor. At the reception, Maya puts a pitted olive on each finger, finds mole sauce on her gown, and dances, riding on her father's feet. While the family is Mexican-American, the wedding's touching and silly moments are universal. Garcia's illustrations, photographs of Sculpy clay figures and collage, are pink and white and delicious, reminiscent of both reredos and scenes from a dollhouse. With all the problem books in the world, it's a delight to encounter one that talks about a happy event and its attendant joys. This is a triumph of true-to-life storytelling, with all the good parts left in.

(1997, March 17). [Review of the book Snapshots from the wedding by Gary Soto]. Kirkus Review. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/gary-soto/snapshots-from-the-wedding/

*Photographs of shadowboxes filled with sculpted clay figures form the eye-catching art for Soto's ""diary"" of Maya, a flower girl. The text, sprinkled with Spanish words, is eloquent and funny (a bride's hands are ""soft as doves""; a cousin wiggles his tongue ""in the space between his baby teeth, white as Chiclets"")-and it deftly captures the flavor of a Latino wedding, complete with mariachi band. Garcia's singular, deliciously creative artwork steals the show here, however. More playful than the dioramas she composed for The Old Lady and the Birds, these lifelike, three-dimensional scenes serve as an elaborate stage set. Readers will be enthralled by Garcia's use of details, from the "actors" and "actresses" decked out in wedding finery to the garlanded ribbons festooned across the shadowboxes to the objects that enhance each scene (tiny silk flowers in the bride's bouquet; potato chips on the buffet table). Using Soto's words as a springboard, Garcia tweaks the perspective, offering a legs-and-feet-only view, for instance, of a scene in which Maya describes the younger wedding guests' ""shoes off"" romp down the hallway (complete with authentically dusty soles of socks). Another ""snapshot"" shows a pair of sculpted hands holding a plate with a flower-topped slice of wedding cake. A happy marriage of talents. Ages 4-8. 

(1997, March 03).[Review of the book Snapshots from the wedding    

     by Gary Soto]. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-399-22808-7

Suggested Activities:

Have children make a diorama of a favorite family memory. We would then make a display for the dioramas in library. 

Image Source:
http://images.betterworldbooks.com/061/Snapshots-from-the-Wedding-Soto-Gary-9780613121170.jpg