Mini Review: The Rough Patch & Alma and How She Got Her Name

Series: N/A
# of Pages: 40
Publication: August 14, 2018
Source: Library Copy
Genre: Picture Book
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Evan and his dog do everything together, from eating ice cream to caring for their award-winning garden, which grows big and beautiful. One day the unthinkable happens: Evan’s dog dies. Heartbroken, Evan destroys the garden and everything in it. The ground becomes overgrown with prickles and thorns, and Evan embraces the chaos. But beauty grows in the darkest of places, and when a twisting vine turns into an immense pumpkin, Evan is drawn out of his misery and back to the county fair, where friendships—old and new—await.

Oh goodness, I thought from the cover that it was just going to be about having a bad day, but I was so wrong. This is a picture that handles the emotions behind death very well. I think a lot of times we tell children that when we have loved ones (whether human or animal) that die that we will always feel sad. We rarely address the fact that there is a possibility that an individual will feel anger. And we don't teach that feeling this anger is okay, that it's natural, and that it's a part of the healing process. The wolf (I'm guessing that's what he was) was clearly and visibly angry and he spent some time relishing in his anger; however, with time he eventually let it go and was able to resume normal activities. This is a great picture book for anyone that is teaching children about the emotions behind death. It's also a great way to validate the feelings of a child that is experiencing death.

Series: N/A
# of Pages: 32
Publication: April 10, 2018
Source: Library Book
Genre: Picture Book
Goodreads | Amazon 

What's in a name? For one little girl, her very long name tells the vibrant story of where she came from — and who she may one day be. If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has way too many names: six! How did such a small person wind up with such a large name? Alma turns to Daddy for an answer and learns of Sofia, the grandmother who loved books and flowers; Esperanza, the great-grandmother who longed to travel; José, the grandfather who was an artist; and other namesakes, too. As she hears the story of her name, Alma starts to think it might be a perfect fit after all — and realizes that she will one day have her own story to tell. In her author-illustrator debut, Juana Martinez-Neal opens a treasure box of discovery for children who may be curious about their own origin stories or names.

This was such an important book for me for two reasons: 

1) It's the name of my great-grandmother who passed away last November. 
2) I'm currently pregnant with my little girl and each one of her names has a meaning. Her two middle names are an indication of her grandmother and great-grandmother and her last name has a lot of history behind it. 

I thought think that this is a great book for any parent that is interested in teaching their child more about the history of names and how names make us unique. It was even important for me as an adult to read this because I usually tell people that my first name is generic, but it actually a history behind it and a strong connection to my mom. It was cute and the artwork definitely resonated with the history behind each name and I love that Alma was able to embrace her cultural identity through her name which is originally thinks is too long.