Age Range: 4-8 years
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Random House/Schwartz & Wade, September 8, 2020
ISBN: 9781984892638
Kirkus, starred review
School Library Journal, starred review
An ALSC Notable Book, 2021
A Notable Social Studies Book of 2021
A Kirkus Best Picture Book of 2020
A Junior Library Guild selection
About the Book
A gorgeous and inspiring picture book based on the life of José Alberto Gutiérrez, a garbage collector in Bogotá, Colombia who started a library with a single discarded book found on his route.
In the city of Bogotá, in the barrio of La Nueva Gloria, there live two Josés. One is a boy who dreams of Saturdays-- that's the day he gets to visit Paradise, the library. The second José is a garbage collector. From dusk until dawn, he scans the sidewalks as he drives, squinting in the dim light, searching household trash for hidden treasure . . . books! Some are stacked in neat piles, as if waiting for José. Others take a bit more digging. Ever since he found his first book, Anna Karenina, years earlier, he's been collecting books--thick ones and thin ones, worn ones and almost new ones-- to add to the collection in his home. And on Saturdays, kids like little José run to the steps of Paradise to discover a world filled with books and wonder.
With an evocative text by a debut author, and rich, stunning illustrations from an up-and-coming Colombian illustrator, here is a celebration of perseverance, community, and the power of books.
Available Now in both English and Spanish!
To order in English:
To order in Spanish:
Age Range: 4-8 years
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Random House/Schwartz & Wade, September 8, 2020
ISBN: 9780593181706
Praise for Digging for Words/Rescantando Palabras
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"An inviting and generous story that will be a pleasure to read aloud." - ★ review, School Library Journal
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"This amiable picture book offers children glimpses of Colombia as well as a role model who values books and enjoys sharing them with others. Sprinkled with a few Spanish words, Kunkel’s concise text is effective in weaving a story around the man’s life." -Booklist
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". . . this moving tale details the power and pleasure of books . . . Kunkel absorbs readers with graceful prose that seamlessly incorporates Spanish." -Publisher's Weekly
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"This debut picture book extols the power of stories and children's right to access them . . . Based on Gutiérrez's life, this imaginative interpretation of his legacy is librarian catnip and will be enjoyed by young readers." -School Library Journal, "Latinx Luminaries"
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Fall 2020 Junior Library Guild Selection, Multicultural Elementary, Grades 2-6
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Fall 2020 Children's Book Council Showcase, Spanish Language Books
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2020 Nominee for Nonfiction, Cybils Awards
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Best Picture Books of 2020, Kirkus
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Best Picture Book Biography of 2020, Kirkus
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Best Picture Books of 2020, Chicago Public Library
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Best Spanish Children's Books List of 2021, Bank Street College of Education
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Notable Children's Books of 2021, Association of Library Service to Children
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2021 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, Children's Book Council
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CCBC Choices 2021, Cooperative Children's Book Center, UW-Madison
Also Seen In . . .
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"Books That Introduce Kids to New Names in History," Colorado Parent Magazine
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Digging for Words selected as Bixby Memorial Free Library's inaugural StoryWalk!
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"Two New Books by Vermont Authors," KidsVT
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"New (and Old) Vermont Books and Authors to Get You Through the Pandemic," Vermont Public Radio
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"8 Picture Books About Books." New York Times
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"2020 Vermont Holiday Gift Guide," Seven Days
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"Leonard Cohen? ‘Hadestown’? Steve Martin? Big names attached to new Vermont books," Burlington Free Press
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"What 2020 Picture Book Roundups Are Missing," LitHub