El Sol de Los Venados - Softcover

Gr 3-6--Jana, the narrator of this novel, is a 10-year-old girl who lives in a small village somewhere in Latin America. She emphatically expresses her hate and fear of math; her love of books; her friendship with Ismael; and her love for sunsets, especially the type that turns the sky to an orange-red color, that calms the air, and that makes everything around her peaceful. This special time is what her mother calls el sol de los venados--the sunset of the deer, in its literal translation. Jana's experiences are typical of those of a happy young girl. Then her idyllic life takes an unexpected turn when Ismael's father is abruptly killed. Little does Jana know that this is a prelude to the pain she will feel when her mother suddenly dies. In learning to cope with death and loneliness, she realizes that despite the devastation of loss, she can begin to see and feel her mother's love in all the things the woman once touched or experienced, and especially in the sunsets. This is a lovely, richly realized story that will appeal to sensitive readers and to any child who has lost a loved one. An excellent example of Latin American children's literature, written by a Colombian author.

Ruth A. Dlugos, New York Public Library

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