A Rose With Wings

A Rose With Wings
Rosa alada

BOOK DESCRIPTION

All of the children in the class have chosen a special animal for their project, but Miguel only has a caterpillar… or does he? A poetic rendition of the miracle of transformation.

One of the beloved titles of the series Stories the Year ‘Round, or in Spanish, Cuentos para todo el año. The complete stories of the series are:

SPRING
A Rose with Wings
A Surprise for Mother Rabbit
The Empty Piñata

PRIMAVERA
Rosa alada
La sorpresa de Mamá Coneja
La piñata vacía

SUMMER
How the Rainbow Came to Be
After the Storm
In the Cow’s Backyard

VERANO
Cómo nació el arco iris
Después de la tormenta
La hamaca de la vaca

FALL
The Kite
What Are Ghosts Afraid Of?
“Turkey for Thanksgiving?” “No, Thanks!”

OTOÑO
El papalote
El susto de los fantasmas
–¿Pavo para la Cena de Gracias? –No, gracias.

WINTER
The Golden Cage
I Don’t Want to Melt
It Wasn’t Me

INVIERNO
La jaula dorada
¡No quiero derretirme!
No fui yo

CDS AND CASSETTES DESCRIPTION

Facilitating that children listen to the stories as recorded by the author has a special value. They can hear in the author’s voice just exactly how exactly the author wished to convey the stories feelings and emotions, emphasis and suspense. I particularly like to read aloud and to record my readings so, for me, it was particularly joyful to record these twelve stories in English and Spanish.

The stories can be found in individual cassettes in English and Spanish, one for each book of the series, or in CDs in English and Spanish versions. Each of the CDs contains the twelve stories of the series.

A Special Bonus

Because these stories have been so beloved by children, I conceived the idea of given them an extra dimension. I have rewritten the 12 stories in Spanish in verse format. And Suni Paz, with her incomparable creativity, has put them to music. So the Spanish cassettes and CD contain not only the story as published in the book told by me, but also the story retold in verse form and sang by Suni.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

The twelve books of this series are some of my best well known books among bilingual teachers and their students. They are also very dear to my heart since the inspiration for most of them comes from my own children’s childhood.

I have always been fascinated by butterflies but they became even more meaningful when we were living in Lima, Peru, and butterflies would lay their eggs on a ñorbo vine outside my studio’s window. My children were fascinated to be able to witness the whole process of the butterfly laying the eggs, the caterpillar voraciously devouring the ñorbo leaves, hanging itself from a twig and creating a cocoon resembling a dry leave, and finally seeing the butterfly come out of the cocoon, all rolled up until the sun dried its wings and it could fly.

So taken was she by the process that when she was five years old my daughter Rosalma made a beautiful book, “How a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.” All of that has been sufficient inspiration for this book.

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READERS’ RESPONSES

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