The Skirt

BIBLIOGRAPHY :
Soto, Gary. 2008. The Skirt. Ill. by Eric Velasquez. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0385905343.

PLOT SUMMARY:
Young Miata is always losing things. When she loses her mother’s old folklorico skirt on the school bus, she devises a plan to get it back without her mother finding out. With the help of her best friend Ana, Miata manages to sneak into the bus barn to retrieve her skirt. After all the trouble of sneaking around to get her mother’s skirt back, Miata finds that she treasures her mother’s old skirt as an heirloom. Set in Los Angeles, California this story is realistic fiction set in the present.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
The few black and white drawings contain the cultural markers of a Mexican American heritage. Blue jeans, button shirts and sweatshirts are worn by the family at the dinner table in one drawing. A picture in the kitchen represents some time of traditional cultural representations of pyramid type drawings. Facial features and shading to represent skin tone are also present in this book. The identification of specific culture is evident with the mention of the missing folklorico skirt. Miata’s mother also uses Spanish words of their native language and describes the physical attributes of Miata’s skin color as an endearment when she says, “¡Ay Dios! …. You scared me, prieta. I didn’t hear you come in.” Miata also describes her best friends physical attributes with “Little Ana had curly hair and a galaxy of freckles on her face.” The author continues with the next sentence, “Miata had known one other Mexican girl who had freckles.”

REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Gr 3-5-- Miata Ramirez has a problem that will strike a chord with many children: she forgets things. This particular Friday afternoon, she has left her folkl orico skirt on the school bus, and she is supposed to dance in it on Sunday. She sees no alternative but to break into the bus and retrieve it. So, dragging along her shy friend, Ana, that is exactly what she does. This is a light, engaging narrative that successfully combines information on Hispanic culture with familiar and recognizable childhood themes. The San Joaquin Valley, California, setting is realistically drawn, and the closeness of Miata's family is reassuring. A fine read-aloud and discussion starter, this story blends cultural differences with human similarities to create both interest and understanding.”

Review from BOOK LIST: “Gr. 3-4. Frequently scolded for losing things, fourth-grader Miata Ramires can't bear to tell her parents that she's left her treasured folklorico skirt on the Friday afternoon school bus. Mom wore the skirt as a child in Mexico and now looks forward to watching Miata wear it when her dance troupe performs in the church courtyard on Sunday. With help from an old friend and an old enemy, Miata breaks into the bus yard, retrieves the skirt, and wears it in her performance. A good beginning chapter book, this uses simple words without sounding too simplistic. Velasquez's eight drawings break up the text, heighten the drama, and provide sympathetic portrayals of the characters.”

AWARDS

Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee 1995

CONNECTIONS
Activities
*Select as Read Aloud for 2^nd-5^th grade to discuss culture or perseverance.

*Use with students to create a Readers Theatre script.

*Turn the Readers Theatre script into a play for the older elementary student to perform for the younger elementary students.