Adios, Josefina

When my mother moved us from Spain to the US, one of the most important things she brought for me were suitcases full of books.  Before we left, she went to her favorite libreria and bought everything they had from the publishers Barco de Vapor and Anaya, among other classic titles, so that I would have the best Spanish children's and young adult literature to read here.  I'm still grateful that she did.  It's not just the language that differs between the books I grew up with in Spain and the books I read as a young adult here, there's just a difference sense of imaginacion, and costumbres, and sabiduria in the Spanish titles.  I found they reflected and inspired me better, which is exactly what I needed as a young adult reader.

Now, I now things have changed and there are increasing choices for quality Hispanic/Latino-interest children's lit, but I'm at the point right now where I haven't yet read much of it with my still-very-young kids and, in the meantime, I'm tempted to tip into the point of view that "en mis tiempos" the children's lit was better.  Ay, paciencia! I can make my nostalgia worth your while.  

I've recently discovered that my absolute favorite children's book in Spanish in the whole world- Adios, Josefina, by Jose Maria Sanchez-Silva- is available via Amazon and, in light of this, I would be completely remiss if I did not urge you to go buy it now.

Adios, Josefina is the coming-of-age story of a young boy with an (imaginary) whale.  The whale, Josefina, can only be seen or heard by the boy, and so she accompanies him through many adventures unbeknowst to the boy's father, his mother, or his sister.  Only his grandmother (who, the boy believes can sometimes hear his thoughts) knows about Josefina; she remembers being able to see her own whale when she was a girl.

The story follows vacations and excursiones of the family, the boy's time in school, the grandmother's passing, and the boy's evolving relationship with his father, while speaking to the power of imagination as magic, as education, and as coping mechanism.  The book inevitably ends when the boy becomes a man and says goodbye to Josefina; te hara saltar las lagrimas, but it will make your heart soar.

Here are a few lines from the first chapter:

La Ballena no parecia tan corriente como los otros miembros de la familia.  Era un asunto un poco misterioso.  Como ballena, era igual que todas las ballenas, salvo un detalle: se podia hacer grande o pequeña, a capricho del Niño...La Ballena era propriedad exclusiva del Niño.  No podia recordar desde cuando la tenia: siempre habia estado con el...Al principio, jugaba con su Ballena preferentemente debajo de la mesa del cuarto de costura.  Pero la tenia siempre consigo.  Por las noches, la dejaba en el vaso de agua de la mesilla.  Era muy sencillo y un poco magico; cuando el Niño se iba a acostar, abria su mano sobre el vaso y decia: "Dejo mi ballena."  Cuando se levantaba, cerraba su mano sobre el vaso y decia: "Cojo mi ballena."  Algunas noches, el sueño no le daba tiempo a dejar a la Ballena en agua, y se dormia con ella dentro del puño cerrado.  En esas ocasiones, podia soñar mejor.

Now the book is completely in Spanish, so I'd either recommend it for proficient Spanish readers ages 9 and up...or for slightly less proficient readers the same age, so long as they're up for using their mamis and/or their dictionaries for an occassional reference.  This book would also make the perfect challenge for a family read-aloud in Spanish.  And, I am not above recommending it to you mamis yourselves- now, whatever age your kids are!   I love it that much.  Just recently, me perdi por una tarde entera disfrutando de Adios, Josefina and it filled me with sweet respect for the territory of childhood.  I can't wait to share it with my kids.  In the meantime, I'm glad to have shared it with you!