Alma Flor Ada

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Alma Flor Ada, Professor Emerita at the University of San Francisco, has devoted her life to advocacy for peace by promoting a pedagogy oriented to personal realization and social jus­tice. A former Radcliffe Scholar at Harvard University and Fulbright Research Scholar she is an internationally re-known speaker.  Alma Flor’s numerous children’s books of poetry, narrative, folklore and non fiction have received prestigious awards. In 2012 she received the Virginia Hamilton Award in recognition of her body of work for children. In 2014 the Mexican Government honored her with the prestigious OHTLI Award for her services to the Mexican communities in the United States.  Her professional books for educators, include: A Magical Encounter: Latino Children’s Lit­erature in the Classroom and, co-authored with F. Isabel Campoy: Authors in the Classroom: A Transformative Education Process, Initial Spanish Literacy: Strategies for Young Learners and Está linda la mar: Para comprender y usar la poesía en la clase. Source

Bilingual

Because I speak Spanish  

I can listen to my grandmother’s stories 

and say familia, madre, amor. 

Because I speak English 

I can learn from my teacher  

and say I love school. 

 

Because I am bilingual 

I can read libros and books, 

I have amigos and friends, 

I enjoy canciones and songs, 

juegos and games, 

and have twice as much fun. 

 

And someday, 

because I speak two languages, 

I will be able to do twice as much, 

to help twice as many people 

and be twice as good in what I do.

Published:

None

Length:

Shorty

Literary Movements:

Children's

Contemporary

Anthology Years:

2022

2023

Themes:

Agency

Bilingual

Family

Intersectionality & Culture

Literary Devices:

Anaphora

a figure of speech in which words repeat at the beginning of successive clauses, phrases, or sentences

Juxtaposition

the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect

Repetition

a recurrence of the same word or phrase two or more times