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9 reviews for:
Happy Birthday, Josefina!: A Springtime Story
Jean-Paul Tibbles, Susan McAliley, Valerie Tripp
3.89 AVERAGE
9 reviews for:
Happy Birthday, Josefina!: A Springtime Story
Jean-Paul Tibbles, Susan McAliley, Valerie Tripp
3.89 AVERAGE
The great AG marathon continues. Reading this as an adult, here's what stands out:
It's springtime, Josefina is turning ten, and she's ready to take on new challenges.
Where Surprise feels like three strands braided together, this one feels more like three steps that build on each other: first nursing the baby goat, then helping Tía Magdalena, then saving both Mariana and Sombrita from the snake venom.
It's nice to see Josefina with a special friend outside her family, but Mariana might be the least developed friend in AG canon - and that's next to Kirsten, whose friends keep leaving. Josefina's family is such a major focus of the series, it leaves very little time for other friends. When Josefina goes into the village, we're told she's known everyone there all her life, and she seems friendly with the other kids, but no one is featured. Mariana rates a portrait on the Friends & Family page, but she only gets a few pages of actual story.
Given all that, it's awfully generous of Mariana to take on that snake for the sake of Josefina's pet. (The snake is another thing I remembered from my 2013 read of this series. I am not a fan.)
The through-line of this book is Josefina exploring the idea that she may have a calling as a healer, a curandera. Raising Sombrita is one expression of this, and Tía Magdalena suggests that, in a larger way, this is a possible future for Josefina.
Our girl does have a bit of a setback where she just can’t resist trying to handle Tía Magdalena’s heirloom apothecary jar - and breaks it. I always hate this kind of WHAT WERE YOU JUST TOLD conflict, but it the realism is undeniable. And to be fair, Josefina clearly hates it too: she’s the kind of kid who beats herself up about things, probably more effectively than any other punishment. Fortunately, we don’t end there: she gathers the courage to apologize as she should, and in knowing how to handle the snake venom, she begins to prove herself as the newest member of Future Healers of New Mexico.
Other than the two spots I don’t like, this is a lovely installment in the series. It moves Josefina’s story forward, gives her interesting and exciting things to do, and suggests where her future may lie. For that, I will put up with a snake and a bad decision.
More Josefina babble
Meet Josefina | Josefina Learns a Lesson | Josefina’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Josefina | Josefina Saves the Day | Changes for Josefina
A Reward for Josefina | Again, Josefina! | Josefina’s Song | Just Josefina | Thanks to Josefina | Josefina’s Short Story Collection
Secrets in the Hills | The Glowing Hearts
It's springtime, Josefina is turning ten, and she's ready to take on new challenges.
Where Surprise feels like three strands braided together, this one feels more like three steps that build on each other: first nursing the baby goat, then helping Tía Magdalena, then saving both Mariana and Sombrita from the snake venom.
It's nice to see Josefina with a special friend outside her family, but Mariana might be the least developed friend in AG canon - and that's next to Kirsten, whose friends keep leaving. Josefina's family is such a major focus of the series, it leaves very little time for other friends. When Josefina goes into the village, we're told she's known everyone there all her life, and she seems friendly with the other kids, but no one is featured. Mariana rates a portrait on the Friends & Family page, but she only gets a few pages of actual story.
Given all that, it's awfully generous of Mariana to take on that snake for the sake of Josefina's pet. (The snake is another thing I remembered from my 2013 read of this series. I am not a fan.)
The through-line of this book is Josefina exploring the idea that she may have a calling as a healer, a curandera. Raising Sombrita is one expression of this, and Tía Magdalena suggests that, in a larger way, this is a possible future for Josefina.
Our girl does have a bit of a setback where she just can’t resist trying to handle Tía Magdalena’s heirloom apothecary jar - and breaks it. I always hate this kind of WHAT WERE YOU JUST TOLD conflict, but it the realism is undeniable. And to be fair, Josefina clearly hates it too: she’s the kind of kid who beats herself up about things, probably more effectively than any other punishment. Fortunately, we don’t end there: she gathers the courage to apologize as she should, and in knowing how to handle the snake venom, she begins to prove herself as the newest member of Future Healers of New Mexico.
Other than the two spots I don’t like, this is a lovely installment in the series. It moves Josefina’s story forward, gives her interesting and exciting things to do, and suggests where her future may lie. For that, I will put up with a snake and a bad decision.
More Josefina babble
Meet Josefina | Josefina Learns a Lesson | Josefina’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Josefina | Josefina Saves the Day | Changes for Josefina
A Reward for Josefina | Again, Josefina! | Josefina’s Song | Just Josefina | Thanks to Josefina | Josefina’s Short Story Collection
Secrets in the Hills | The Glowing Hearts
While I understand why so much of Josefina's story deals with the death of her mother, it is a nice change of pace that that's not the primary focus here. It's also cool that we get a glimpse of Josefina potentially becoming a healer when she's older.
4 stars. It's Josefina's tenth birthday and it was just so lovely. This series is great. I love these characters so much and the stories are rich with culture.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I have been struggling through the Josefina series as I read them with my 8 year old. I have found her stories difficult to connect to and her not as an endearing character as the other American Girls. However, this book was much better. The story had a bit more depth and I found myself finally interested in Josefina. And just in time soon, because as we were starting this book I did not think that I could make it through another one.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is the first American Girls book I've ever read, and I only did so to practice reading in Spanish. I was delightfully surprised by it. Pains were clearly taken to prioritize historical and cultural accuracy, and the story itself is charming. It has all the pros of Little House without the racism.