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Featherless/Desplumado
The award-winning author of "Calling All Doves" scores again with this sparkling story of friendship and self-empowerment that features a little boy in a wheelchair who is given a special pet by his father. Full color.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published June 25, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 5, 2017
Tomasito has a difficult time making friends because he has spina bifida. To show that he is not the only one who is different, Papi buys Tomasito a featherless bird that also has a leg deformity. One day, Tomasito’s classmate Marlena asks him to join the Fresno Flyers soccer team. After Tomasito shows the coach that he can use his head to hit the ball, the coach lets him play. In his first game he almost makes two goals by hitting the ball with his head. After having a dream that he could fly, Tomasito tries to stand up on his own but his back gives out. Tomasito explains that he just wants his bird, Desplumado, to fly, but Papi knows that Tomasito is really talking about himself. He reminds Tomasito that he can already fly because he is on the Fresno Flyers. Finally, after scoring a goal in the next game to help the team win, Tomasito tells Desplumado that he can fly too because there are many ways to fly.
Written from Tomasito’s point of view, Featherless depicts what life is like for children with spina bifida or for those who have to use a wheelchair. Furthermore, the book portrays things that children who use a wheelchair experience, such as using a chair lift to get on the bus or not being able to play with others at recess. However, as Tomasito plays soccer by using his head, the story shows that even those with disabilities can participate in sports and other physical activities. Therefore, the story sends the message that just because someone has a disability doesn’t mean they can’t do something, it just means they may do it differently.
Yet, not only does the story give persons with disabilities a voice, but it gives a Mexican American child with a disability a voice. This is important, because there is a significant lack of books that have a Latino character with a disability. Thus, this book would especially matter for Latino/a children with physical disabilities because they would be able to see someone who looks like them and to whom they can relate. Additionally, the book is written in both English and Spanish so the book is accessible to children who speak either language.
On the other hand, the book does include some stereotypes. First, the sport that Tomasito plays is soccer, which perpetuates the idea that the only sport Mexicans play is soccer. Secondly, as Tomasito and his dad live in a trailer, the story includes the stereotype that Mexicans are poor. Yet, the story also breaks down a couple stereotypes. For instance, the book shows that both boys and girls can play sports, as Marlena is the one that asks Tomasito to play on the team. Furthermore, the trope of the single mother is disrupted because the only parent that is visible throughout the story is Tomasito’s dad, which implies that he is a single dad.
This book is part of the Larissa Gerstel Collection at American University located at http://www.american.edu/cas/education...
Written from Tomasito’s point of view, Featherless depicts what life is like for children with spina bifida or for those who have to use a wheelchair. Furthermore, the book portrays things that children who use a wheelchair experience, such as using a chair lift to get on the bus or not being able to play with others at recess. However, as Tomasito plays soccer by using his head, the story shows that even those with disabilities can participate in sports and other physical activities. Therefore, the story sends the message that just because someone has a disability doesn’t mean they can’t do something, it just means they may do it differently.
Yet, not only does the story give persons with disabilities a voice, but it gives a Mexican American child with a disability a voice. This is important, because there is a significant lack of books that have a Latino character with a disability. Thus, this book would especially matter for Latino/a children with physical disabilities because they would be able to see someone who looks like them and to whom they can relate. Additionally, the book is written in both English and Spanish so the book is accessible to children who speak either language.
On the other hand, the book does include some stereotypes. First, the sport that Tomasito plays is soccer, which perpetuates the idea that the only sport Mexicans play is soccer. Secondly, as Tomasito and his dad live in a trailer, the story includes the stereotype that Mexicans are poor. Yet, the story also breaks down a couple stereotypes. For instance, the book shows that both boys and girls can play sports, as Marlena is the one that asks Tomasito to play on the team. Furthermore, the trope of the single mother is disrupted because the only parent that is visible throughout the story is Tomasito’s dad, which implies that he is a single dad.
This book is part of the Larissa Gerstel Collection at American University located at http://www.american.edu/cas/education...
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October 9, 2011Why this book? Many of my students love soccer and have asked for books about soccer. This story has soccer as a theme, but also friendship, and self-empowerment.
Genre: realistic fiction, picture book, poem
Theme/keywords: soccer, friendship, disability,
Special features: The main character is in a wheelchair and loves soccer. Overcoming odds that everyone has against him.
Characteristic of quality: Story written as a poem, beautiful illustrations that really describe the text, strong character development and friendships, familiar language, familiar context
gender of the primary character: male
Race/Ethnicity of the primary character: Latino
Cultural consideration: Some background knowledge of how soccer is played might be useful to understand how Tomasito can play in a wheelchair. The students will relate to his love of soccer because of their interest in the sport.
Language consideration: Simple text, written in both English and Spanish using familiar language.
Open ended question: How did Tomasito get to play soccer? What helped him? How did he relate to his bird?
Genre: realistic fiction, picture book, poem
Theme/keywords: soccer, friendship, disability,
Special features: The main character is in a wheelchair and loves soccer. Overcoming odds that everyone has against him.
Characteristic of quality: Story written as a poem, beautiful illustrations that really describe the text, strong character development and friendships, familiar language, familiar context
gender of the primary character: male
Race/Ethnicity of the primary character: Latino
Cultural consideration: Some background knowledge of how soccer is played might be useful to understand how Tomasito can play in a wheelchair. The students will relate to his love of soccer because of their interest in the sport.
Language consideration: Simple text, written in both English and Spanish using familiar language.
Open ended question: How did Tomasito get to play soccer? What helped him? How did he relate to his bird?
October 27, 2015
This book is about a boy who was born with spina bifida learning that he can do things that his peers are doing with the help of the featherless bird that his father gave him. He learns that just cause he has spina difida; it doesn't mean that he can't play soccer with his friends at school. This is a good example of Latino culture book because the pictures drawn in it are of Latin Americans and there is Spanish with English for both reader of English and Spanish. I would recommend this book for fourth or fifth grade.
January 24, 2016
I didn't necessarily dislike this book, but I probably would not choose it to read aloud either. It was fine, but nothing more. The illustrations are cute, but do not really grab your eye. The story is well enough written, but not particularly interesting. I did think that the translations were well done, though I tend to prefer bilingual books that separate the text into smaller chunks so that it is easier to switch back and forth between languages if you choose to read the story in that way.
October 2, 2014
A very good book for an ESL classroom because it has both English and Spanish versions of the story in it. Not only that, but it comes with a pretty cool message about limitations and disabilities. This one is a keeper.
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July 19, 2008Poetically written in both English and Spanish. The words create vivid pictures of Tomasito’s emotions throughout the story. (Multicultural)
November 5, 2013
A boy with spina bifida plays soccer and learns about himself with the help of his new featherless bird.
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December 3, 2015Nice message about inclusion on soccer field. Not crazy about the symbolic featherless bird.
January 15, 2016
Lovely message. Painfully heavy-handed and sodden with exposition.
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March 29, 2022I read this books for a children’s literature class
April 4, 2025
Wonderful story about how being different or disabled does not mean your not able to do the things you want.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews