Mamá the Alien / Mamá La Extraterrestre

René Colato Laínez

Book cover for Mamá the Alien / Mamá La Extraterrestre
Book cover for Mamá the Alien / Mamá La Extraterrestre

Mamá the Alien / Mamá La Extraterrestre

Mamá the Alien / Mamá La Extraterrestre

René Colato Laínez

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Description

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


En esta alegre historia bilingüe, una niña ve la palabra alien en una tarjeta de imigración de su mamá y concluye que su madre es alienígena, hasta que discubre que la palabra tiene más que un significado en íngles.

When Sofia gets a peek at Mamá's Resident Alien card, she wonders: Is Mamá an alien from outer space? Sofia heads to the library to learn about aliens. Some have four fingers on each hand and some have gray skin or blue or green. But Mamá looks like a human mother!

Sofia is stuck puzzling out this mystery until she sees her mom getting ready 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!

Cuando Sofia ve una tarjeta de su mamá que dice Resident Alien, se pregunta: ¿podría ser mamá un alienígena, de otro planeta? Sofia va a la biblioteca para aprender sobre los extraterrestres. Algunos tienen cuatro dedos en cada mano y algunos tienen piel gris o azúl o verde. ¡Pero mamá parece una madre humana!

Sofia se queda atascada con este rompecabeza hasta que ve a su mama preparandose para su ceremonia de ciudadania. Y es entonces que Sofia se da cuenta que en inglés, un alien puede ser alguien de otro planeta y también puede ser una persona de otro país. ¡Justo como mamá!

Lleno de imaginación y humor, este dulce libro es una oportuna celebración de la familia, no importe de donde vienen sus miembros. ¡Hasta si vienen del espacio sideral!

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.

Critical Reviews

* "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)

Publishing Information

Publisher: Children's Book Press (CA)
Pub date: 2016-08-15
Length: 32 pages

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