Mama the Alien: Mama la extraterrestre

by Ren Colato La nez, Laura Lac mara (Illustrator)

Overview

Bilingual English/Spanish. In this lighthearted bilingual immigration story, a young girl sees the word alien on her mother's Resident Alien card and concludes that her mother is from another planet—until the girl finds out that the word has more than one meaning.

When Mamá's purse falls on the floor, Sofia gets a peek at Mamá's old Resident Alien card and comes to the conclusion that Mamá might be an alien from outer space. Sofia heads to the library to learn more about aliens. Some are small and some are tall. Some have four fingers on each hand and some have large, round eyes. Their skin can be gray or blue or green. But Mamá looks like a human mother! Could she really be an alien?

Sofia is still puzzling out this mystery when she sees an alien-looking Mamá one night. It turns out Mamá is doing a beauty treatment so she will look her best for her citizenship ceremony. That's when Sofia realizes that in English, an alien can be someone from another planet, and it can also be a person from another country. Just like Mamá!

Filled with imagination and humor, this title is a sweet and timely celebration of family, no matter where that family comes from. Even if it's outer space!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780892392988
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	06/01/2016
Edition description:	Bilingual
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.10(d)
Language:	Spanish
Lexile:	AD560L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

René Colato Laínez was born in El Salvador. He is an award-winning author who holds an MFA in Writing for Children from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Críticas has called René's characters "immigrant heroes." He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

Laura Lacámara is both an author and illustrator of children’s books. She is a popular presenter at schools, book festivals, libraries, and conferences, and is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. A native of Cuba, she now lives in Venice, California, with her husband and their daughter.

Editorial Reviews

05/02/2016
In this bilingual tale, Sofía's mother, a U.S. resident, isn't the extraterrestrial kind of alien; rather, she's from an unspecified Spanish-speaking country and has a residence card that reads "ALIEN" at the top. While Laínez's attempt to make comedy of Sofía's misunderstanding is sometimes overwrought ("I saw Mamá's shadow on the wall. She stretched out her arms.... I found the courage to switch on the light"), the portrayal of a family member on a journey toward U.S. citizenship is a crucial story, especially for readers whose citizenship has never been called into question. Younger readers may not know that non-citizens are referred to as aliens, or that the children of non-citizens wrestle with unexpected questions: "Mamá was an alien. Papá didn't have a card, so he was not an alien. That meant I was half alien," Sofía reasons. By devoting more narrative energy to the idea that Sofía's Mamá comes from outer space, Laínez (¡Vámanos! Let's Go!) keeps the story from turning sanctimonious or didactic. In warmly colored paintings, Lacámara (Dalia's Wondrous Hair/El cabello maravilloso de Dalia) matches stylized, folk art–style humans with droll alien figures that feature a variety of arms, legs, antennae, and tentacles. Ages 6–9. (May)

Publishers Weekly

* "A delightful, original, clever, purposeful, multicultural alien tale." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"[A]n exceptional story about immigration with a new twist." — Booklist

"This is a very lighthearted and simple story about residency in the United States, particularly for Hispanics. The plot is playful and typical of a child's interpretation of the situation.... [T]he pictures are pleasant-looking, the subject is important to address with young children, and the story makes for very easy reading in both languages." — School Library Journal

"Mama the Alien is a joyful celebration of a family member's earned citizenship of the United States of America." — Midwest Book Review

Américas Award Commended Title - Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs
CCBC Choices - Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
CDE Recommended List 2023 - California Department of Education
Grand Canyon Reader Award - Arizona Library Association
Tejas Star Reading List - Texas Library Association (TLA)

From the Publisher

06/01/2016
K-Gr 3—Young Sofia finds her mother's alien resident card, and her mother confirms the truth: she is an alien. Sofia's imagination runs wild with questions. Does her mother visit her alien friends at night? Does her mother speak three languages—English, Spanish, and Alien? Is Sofia an alien, too? This is a very lighthearted and simple story about residency in the United States, particularly for Hispanics. The plot is playful and typical of a child's interpretation of the situation. What the story lacks is the explanation of why Sofia's mom has to apply for residency and, later, citizenship. Sofia's parents are vague about the card's meaning and give very little explanation to their daughter, who understands without further questions. Hopefully, parents who want to address this topic will have a more detailed discussion with their own children while reading this book. Also, Sofia's suspect "research" about aliens at the library, which results in confirmation that aliens have antennae and four fingers on each hand, might confuse literal-minded young readers. Overall, the pictures are pleasant-looking, the subject is important to address with young children, and the story makes for very easy reading in both languages. VERDICT An additional purchase for libraries looking to expand their bilingual offerings and titles on immigration.—Jessica Espejel, New York Public Library

School Library Journal

★ 2016-04-13
A young Latina is convinced her mother is an alien from another planet. While playing basketball, Sofía accidently knocks over Mamá's purse, spilling out its contents, including a card with Mamá's name and, in big, blue letters, the word "ALIEN" (or "extraterrestre"). After confirming that the card is indeed real and asking her parents additional questions, Sofía is sure that Mamá is an extraterrestrial—from outer space—and so her vivid imagination and desire to better understand take her to the library to research aliens. She cannot understand, however, why Mamá looks so humanlike. One especially effective double-page spread portrays Mamá's silhouette, hair in curlers and wearing a robe, the beam of an open fridge door casting an elongated shadow on the kitchen wall. Lacámara's fine, vibrant acrylic-and-collage illustrations dress the story in wonder and humor between colorful, golden kitchen scenes and deep, opaque extraterrestrial homages. Lacámara's subtle indicator that Mamá is a Salvadoran immigrant is by way of a thought bubble in which she stands on the map outline of El Salvador. Colato Laínez offers readers the text in both English and Spanish side by side or above and below, neatly laid out with its corresponding illustrations and folding in a primer on the immigration process besides. A delightful, original, clever, purposeful, multicultural alien tale. (glossary with pronunciation, author's note) (Bilingual picture book. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews