Gracias Thanks

Mora, P. (2009). Gracias thanks. New York, NY: Lee and Low Books, Inc.

Pura Belpre Honor Book for Illustration, 2010 

If the plot does not fit the traditional plot line, what plot line does the book illustrate?  Write a 5-6 sentence description of the book:

Gracias Thanks by Pat Mora does not follow a traditional plot line; instead, it follows a young boy who recounts in both English and Spanish various things for which he is thankful and why he is grateful for them.  For example, he tells how he is thankful for the sun that wakes him up and for the foamy waves that chase him and his sister.  Other things he is thankful for range from small, seemingly insignificant things to larger, more important things.  They include bees, ladybugs, worms, crickets, chocolate, pajamas, music, his abuelita, his friend Billy, his little brother, his mom, and his family.  On each page he says what he is thankful for and why, in Spanish first and then in English, and at the end of each sentence is the word gracias or thanks. 

 

Picture books only (Was this a well illustrated book? Describe how it was or was not well-illustrated in 3 sentences.):  John Parra, illustrator of Gracias Thanks, captures the childlike essence of this book in his illustrations.  Each page is filled with rich, vibrant colors reflective of the Hispanic culture.  Each thing that the boy is thankful for is adequately illustrated in a manner to which a young child, whether Spanish speaking or English speaking, is easily able to relate.