Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Amy Huntington,
No English
Mitten Press, 2008.

Ages 5-12

All of us have had the experience of being new in an unfamiliar place at one time or another. For young Blanca, recently arrived from Argentina, this moment happens when she starts elementary school in the United States.

While the rest of the kids are worried about such things as spelling tests, her concerns stretch much farther: she doesn’t speak a word of English; and there’s a sea of new faces staring at her and a maze of unfamiliar hallways to navigate. Huntington’s soft watercolor illustrations do a great job of capturing the puzzled look of both Blanca and her classmates, who don’t yet know how to relate.

From an awkward and confusing first day at school, where misunderstandings happen between her and classmate Diana, to her first  experience of friendship and inclusion, Blanca’s path is one trailed by many children of immigrants in the United States.

After the bumpy start, Blanca and Diana discover a creative way of communicating without words, and more people try to reach out: their teacher talks to the students about what it must feel like “to be surrounded by people you don’t understand,” and helps them come up with simple ideas for making Blanca feel welcome; the school principal takes the time to find out what exactly the problem is when a substitute teacher sends Blanca and Diana to see him. The image of the girls’ long walk down the hall to the principal’s office shows the two holding hands, united in their newfound friendship and their now shared fear of being misunderstood.

This gentle story succeeds in showing that there is much for children coming from other countries to get used to in school, which means that settling down to formal learning is a gradual process that requires a lot of respect and understanding. Blanca’s journey also conveys to children that a little kindness and sensitivity go a long way when it comes to kids struggling to adapt to new surroundings, in school or out.

Aline Pereira
May 2008