Playing Loteria / El juego de la loteria

by Rene Colato Lainez

Playing Loteria /El Juego de la Loteria (Bilingual) <> Paperback <> ReneColatoLainez <> CooperSquarePub

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Spanish Literature, Latinx, Family, Cultural, Games

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2005

About the author

René Colato Laínez is the Salvadoran award winning author of I Am René, the Boy/ Soy René, el niño, Waiting for Papá/ Esperando a Papá, and Playing Lotería/ El juego de la lotería. His picture books have been honored by the Latino Book Award, the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, the California Collection for Elementary Readers, the Tejas Star Book Award Selection and the New Mexico Book Award. He was named “Top Ten New Latino Authors to Watch (and Read)” by latinostories.com. René is a graduate of the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children & Young Adults.

His goal as a writer is to produce good multicultural children's literature; stories where minority children are portrayed in a positive way, where they can see themselves as heroes, and where they can dream and have hopes for the future. He wants to write authentic stories of Latin American children living in the United States.

Reviews

[Lindsay]

I absolutely love this bilingual (Spanish/English) story! Not only does it teach others about a beloved game my siblings, cousins, and I all played together when we were young--la otería--but it also teaches children to spend time with their loved ones, even if they don't speak each other's language very well: "Loved ones have special ways of understanding each other..." (p. 1).

In this story, a little boy is nervous about visiting his grandmother who lives in Mexico (San Luis de la Paz, Guanajuato) on his own because he mostly speaks English and his grandmother only speaks Spanish. By practicing the riddles that go with each lotería card, the little boy and his abuela spend time together and his Spanish improves. He even teaches Abuela a little English. By the end of his trip, the boy wants to spend more time with his grandma. It is just such a special story--one that celebrates bilingualism and biculturalism and encourages "mostly English" speakers to spend time with Spanish-speaking family members.

[Crystal]

This book highlights a situation that many children have in their families - a grandparent with a different primary language. The boy's mother encourages him to spend time with his grandmother in spite of a language barrier.

During his time with abuelita, the boy learns more Spanish and teaches her more English. They bond at the fair and with the game Loteria. Loteria is much like Bingo. It would be fun to read this and then play Loteria together.

This is a sweet story with much to offer readers about relationships, language, and bravely trying new things.

[Benjamin Wagner]

El Juego de la Loteria is a bilingual book appropriate for more experienced readers (probably around third or fourth grade). The literary content is somewhat thick for a children's book, but is overall an easy read with accessible, commonly used vocabulary. The illustrations are gorgeous and expressive, and were clearly painted with great care. This book is fiction, but based on real cultural practices.

The story is brief. It follows a young Latino boy who grew up in America and has lost touch with his family's cultural roots. He visits his abuela in Mexico for summer vacation, in the city of San Luis de la Paz, during a seasonal fair. His grandmother mostly speaks Spanish, and he is "not used to speaking Spanish" and is instead used to speaking English.

The main character's difficulty with Spanish is an essential aspect of this story. He wants to learn Spanish (particularly all the phrases on the lottery cards) to better understand his grandmother, so they strike a deal: she'll teach him all of the Spanish words on the cards, and he'll teach her English.

Overall, this story is great. It's easy enough to read for little ones, and the illustrations serve to make life in Mexico really fun and enriching. The fun fair seems like an absolute blast, and the food looks and sounds utterly scrumptious. The dynamic duo in the story are very endearing, and seeing them overcome their language barrier with the power of family is a high-impact message.

It's fully bilingual. The entire story (and the instructions to play the lottery, in the back of the book) are written in both English and Spanish - and both translations include words from the other language. For developing bilingual learners, it's a perfect choice for a wholesome story about family and discovering one's cultural roots. I think it would serve to impart upon young Latinx children the value of family and origin. It would even be appropriate for read-alouds for younger children, albeit they may need an above-average attention span!

The problem of language barriers is not directly discussed, but could easily lead to questions from readers/listeners. The resolution is predictable, but cute. The characters are believable, and the age-appropriate text is supporting by the illustrations. The author is an immigrant from El Salvador; the illustrator is an American, but has clearly taken influence from South/Central American artists.

My main qualm is that I would argue the represented lifestyles are not extremely nuanced. Abuela doesn't do much besides eat and have fun, and secondary characters are not investigated in length. However, the positive aspects of Mexican culture are examined pretty thoroughly for a children's book of this targeted age-range. I'd consider this a must-have for bilingual learners and the children of immigrants who may have not been very exposed to their family's extended cultural values.

[Romilia Human]

Lainez, R. C. (2005). Playing Loteria / El Juego de La Loteria (Bilingual): El Juego de La Loteria . Flagstaff: Luna Rising.

Subgroup: Family and Community

Genre: Fiction

How it relates to the Latino cultural: This book illustrates the beautiful relationship between grandmother and grandson. There is a strong bond between family.

Synopsis: As a little boy gets dropped off at his grandmother’s house, he is worried that they will not be able to communicate with each other because of a language barrier. He speaks English and a little Spanish and his grandmother only speaks Spanish. He is excited to discover that his grandmother has a Loteria stand at the fair. The little boy learns to speak Spanish a little better with his Grandmother’s help and he comes to find out that “loved ones have special ways of understanding each other”.

[Kathleen Behrendt]

This book, told in first person from the boy's point of view, is about the relationship between a grandmother who speaks little English and her grandson who speaks little Spanish and the game of Loteria (similar to Bingo), which is widely played in Mexico. The boy is sent to spend time with his grandmother to learn Spanish, but the boy ends up teaching his grandmother English as well.

Recommend this book to readers in kindergarten and up. This is a great teaching tool; it explains what all the cards mean and has instructions on how to play loteria in the back of the book. So, recommend this to teachers looking for good books on Mexican culture. Also recommend What Can you do with a Rebozo and What can you do with a Paleta, both by Carmen Tafolla.

[Marissa Garcia]

In the changing landscape within immigrant and first generation families, many children speak only English with vague knowledge of the native tongue of their grandparents/parents. Lainez uses the popular traditional card game of loteria, which is perfect for learning Spanish vocabulary, to bring a young boy closer to his culture, his grandmother, and her language. This is an important representation of a newer group of Latino children - American citizens whose first and often times only language is English, with one foot in the U.S.A. and one in the land of their heritage.

Suggest to those looking for bilingual picture books, patrons with an interest in traditional Mexican pop culture, those looking for a broader representation of Latino children in literature for young people.

[Marissa Elera]

In the changing landscape within immigrant and first generation families, many children speak only English with vague knowledge of the native tongue of their grandparents/parents. Lainez uses the popular traditional card game of loteria, which is perfect for learning Spanish vocabulary, to bring a young boy closer to his culture, his grandmother, and her language. This is an important representation of a newer group of Latino children - American citizens whose first and often times only language is English, with one foot in the U.S.A. and one in the land of their heritage.

Suggest to those looking for bilingual picture books, patrons with an interest in traditional Mexican pop culture, those looking for a broader representation of Latino children in literature for young people

[Aneesa]

We liked this book but we loooove playing loteria.

[Jose Juan]

This game has been around in the Mexican culture for over 200 years. A little boy goes to visit his grandmother in Mexico. He is a bit scared because he doesn’t speak Spanish and his grandmother doesn’t speak English. When he arrives in Mexico he finds out that there is a fair in town and his grandmother has a booth at the fair. She is hosting the game of loteria for a few days at the fair. The little boy hangs out with his grandmother at the fair and learns new some Spanish words from the game and he even teaches his grandmother a few English words too. He ends up having a great time and is looking forward to visit her again the following summer.

[Ro Menendez]

I teach in a bilingual setting where a great percentage of the population has Mexican roots so this story gets them fired up. It's about a grandson going to spend some time with Grandma to practice his Spanish, you can imagine how thrilled he was about it. The Loteria is their connecting point and Grandma has a "Loteria" booth at the fair. Many of my students enjoy writing about their visits to the TX State Fair and to theme parks but they have a hard time making an engaging narrative about these experiences. This book is a great mentor text to explore how to write an interesting story about your visit to places like these.

[Kalynda]

I couldn't help but pick up this book from the library. It reminded me of past family events, and especially of my brother. He loved playing loteria, as a way to practice his Spanish (very similar to the storyline), and he also knew I didn't like the game. I called it a spectators sport, since I never seemed to win, just listened and moved my beans around. This is a cute story of a young boy, who is nervous about spending time with his grandmother in Mexico, because he has little Spanish. Through negotiation, love, support, and loteria, he not only learns, but connects with his cultural roots.

[Rosa]

This story has text in English and in Spanish. A little boy goes to stay with his grandmother but is very nervous b/c he doesn’t speak a lot of Spanish. The two bond over the game Loteria (similar to bingo). Abuela teaches him how to call the cards and by the end of the trip they are both more comfortable with each other and the others language.
This is a longer tale definitely better for older listeners. I like that it shows the two teaching each other. The illustrations are gorgeous. They are filled with bright colors that are very warm and give the story an even warmer feeling.

[Erica]

In publishing this bilingual story, somebody made the terrible decision to write the entire text in parallel - one is fully in English, the other fully in Spanish. The problem is that the two main characters do not speak the other language, and the entire story is about them learning.

Anyone reading this aloud to a child will want to say Abuela's spoken words in Spanish, even in the English text, and the boy's spoken words in English, even in the Spanish text. You CAN do this, but you have to jump your eyes to the other part of the page - which is tricky to do while reading aloud.

[Cambrie]

I really like this book and I'd give it a 5/5. This realistic fiction book was published in 2005 and the main themes I noticed were family and heritage. My favorite part was when the grandson and grandma were crowing like roosters and flapping their arms like wings. I might use this book in my future classroom if there are students who know Spanish because it could give them a chance to read aloud a book in their native language. I love that the book is both in English and Spanish but integrates different phrases in both sections.

[Angelica]

This bilingual book is great for a storytime. The book has beautiful pictures that tell the story very well. In the story a little boy spends the day with his grandmother and learns new words he didn't know how to pronounce before. He also learns how to play Loteria. Playing Loteria is like playing Bingo but with beans or coins. The player must cover the whole card and call Loteria is the winner.

Again with very vibrant pictures this book is about family and learning about your culture.

[Patricia]

This is such a sweet story of a young boy going to Mexico to spend time with his grandmother. He's unsure of his grasp of Spanish, and her English is worse than his Spanish. She runs a loteria booth at the fair, and his Spanish improves by learning the rhymes for each of the images for the Mexican Bingo game. At the end, he doesn't want to go home!

My students like this book, especially when we play actual games of loteria afterwards.

[Valerie Hernandez]

This book was about a young boy going to visit his grandma and through the game of la Loteria getting closer and building a better relationship with her! I thought this book was great I loved how it had beautiful images and truly explores the game of La Loteria. It was also a great book because it has the text in both English and Spanish!

[Kathy]

Beautifully illustrated. I would like to play Loteria with my students and would like to try the authentic Mexican game of Loteria. The English version would be nice to read to students to introduce the game in the fall. Then go back and read the Spanish version in May.

[Becky]

A young Mexican-American boy spends the summer with his Mexican grandmother. They use the pictures on the cards of La Lotería (a game similar to Bingo) to help each other learn the other's main language (the boy speaks mostly English and the grandmother speaks Spanish). The text is bilingual.

[RLL22016_JacquelineFlores]

I checked this book out of the library in attempt to pick out authentic and inauthentic books. I chose this book as my inauthentic book because the people in the book look too orange. As opposed to the other book I choose, this book just seemed inauthentic.

[Mely]

A good book to compliment our week studying Mexico. A great way to introduce little ones to the game of lotería. A book better suited for elementary aged children. Has dual language text. A sweet story about a boy and his grandmother.

[Maelee]

I learned about the mexican culture and how it is simplistic but exciting at the same time. I enjoyed the relationship between the grandson and his abuela.

[Eliza]

Translation matched English fairly well. Always easier to learn that way.

[Christine Turner]

A boy has a good time attending a fair with his grandmother in San Luis de La Paz, Mexico, as she teaches him Spanish words and phrases and he teaches her English. www.hcpl.net

[Bob Minnick]

I thought it was fun!

[Courtney]

Bilingual.

[Hyunhee Bae]

Through the game of La loteria, a billingual boy learn Spanish from his grandmother and he teaches her English while he's visiting Mexico. It was a good opportunity to learn Mexican culture.

[Mary Lee]

Will pair well with Meg Medina's Mango, Abuela, and Me.

[Ben Truong]

Playing Lotería/El Juego de la Lotería is a children's picture book written by René Colato Laínez and illustrated by Jill Arena. It centers on a boy who goes to Mexico to visit his grandmother and through Lotería learn each other's languages. Today's Google Doodle (9 December), at least around my part of the world, is about Lotería, so I thought it would be apropos to read this book today.

Lotería is a traditional game of chance, similar to bingo, but using images on a deck of cards instead of numbered ping pong balls. Every image has a name and an assigned number, but the number is usually ignored. Each player has at least one tabla, a board with a randomly created 4×4 grid of pictures with their corresponding name and number. Players choose a tabla to play with, from a variety of previously created tablas, each with a different selection of images.

Laínez's text is rather simplistic and straightforward. Written in English and Spanish, it tells a story about a grandson and his grandmother connecting through the game of Lotería. Arena's artwork is beautifully rendered and depicts the text rather well.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It tells the story about a boy who goes to Mexico to visit his grandmother. However, he speaks very little Spanish and she speaks very little English. To communicate, his grandmother teaches him Spanish through the game Lotería and in return he does the same thing to his grandmother by teaching her English. It also teaches the reader about the game Lotería too.

All in all, Playing Lotería/El Juego de la Lotería is a wonderful story about a relationship between a grandmother and her grandson and communication through the language barriers through a game.

[Rosie Hewett]

This book was great! It is about the single most important game in Mexican culture, la loteria. The book is bilingual. The boy was reluctant to visit his grandmother at first because he didn't speak Spanish. His grandmother took him around town and at the fair he learned about the game, Loteria, and he also learned how to say the phrases. In the end when his mother returned for him he didn't want to go home!