cover image Enriqueta Mares y Su Tinglado

Enriqueta Mares y Su Tinglado

Monica Bustos, Victor Manuel Gutierrez Garcia. Ediciones Castillo, $8.95 (104pp) ISBN 978-970-20-0147-8

Gr 6-8-Enriqueta Mares is a single mom with three kids living in a neighborhood of Mexico City. Her oldest son, a 13-year-old, recounts her improbable but wonderful story. The tinglado of the title refers to the cozy scenario created by Enriqueta whenever she pulls out her ironing paraphernalia. Setting up her ironing board, laundry basket, and stool she would gather the children around her and begin to tell stories. Cozy in a cocoon of pillows and blankets at her feet, the children would inhale the sweet aroma of clean shirts being ironed while listening to her tales. The malfunction of her iron precipitates a series of events, some smacking deliciously of magic realism, that change the family's life forever. The story offers interesting, well-developed characters and a glimpse into life in a modern urban Mexican neighborhood. It also illustrates the tender, conflicted relationship between a teenage boy and his mother. The stylized drawings with an art-deco feel capture the whimsical, magical tone of the story very well. Highly recommended for school and public libraries as well as bookstores. M.O.B.