That Girl on TV could be Me!

December 1, 2020
Shy 5-year-old Leticia wants to be on TV, but no one on the screen looks like her. Having come from Mexico, her parents know the value of education to achieve success, and they encourage their daughter to work hard in school to overcome her shyness and to go to college in order to pursue her goal of becoming a news anchor. After earning an internship at a Sacramento news outfit, Leticia knows that newscasting is her dream job. She endures years of writing her own scripts and shooting her own stories until the day she's been waiting for finally arrives: Channel 3 Sacramento hires her as a news reporter. She did it! Unfortunately, Ordaz's uninspired text results in a dispassionate catalog of her achievements, from convincing her father to get another job so she could be fitted with orthodontic braces to landing the coveted anchor position during her pregnancy. There is little emotional engagement. The dearth of examples of personal growth and the surmounting of obstacles--such as learning English as a child and achieving success in a predominantly White industry on her own merits--means there is little tension in the story. Colombian artist Calle's illustrations, cartoonish with exaggerated eyes, only serve to widen the emotional distance between subject and readers. The absence of autobiographical backmatter further lessens the value of this latest addition to the documentation of the achievements of people of color in the U.S. This inspirational story fails to inspire. (glossary) (Picture book/memoir. 5-8)

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December 1, 2020

Gr 1-3-Ordaz, who grew up near Sacramento, CA, is the daughter of Mexican parents who immigrated to the United States to provide a better life for their family. As a young girl, Ordaz dreamed of working on TV but was shy. Her parents offered words of encouragement by advising her to work hard and attend college. After high school, she enrolled in Sacramento State and studied Communications. After completing an internship with Channel 3 in Sacramento and graduating college, she accepted a job in Elko, NE. After a year, Ordaz became homesick. She worked at KGET in Bakersfield, CA, and the Fox station in Fresno, CA, before finally becoming a reporter for Channel 3. This bilingual narrative is organized in paragraphs of three to six lines, with a literal Spanish translation that, at times, lacks the accuracy of that language by trying to match the English text word for word. The story progresses at a lively pace. The vibrant illustrations, which utilize neutral and composite colors, showcase expressive characters and scenes of news stories. The style evokes anime and manga. This title could be suitable for an independent reader or used in a read-aloud activity in the classroom, or for story time in the public library. A glossary is included. VERDICT A motivating picture book biography that will inspire Latinx children to pursue their dreams by working hard and overcoming challenges.-Kathia Ibacache, Univ. of Colorado Boulder

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