Culture 3 - A Birthday Basket for Tia

A. Bibliography
Mora, Pat. 1992. A Birthday Basket for Tia. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0027674002.

B. Plot Summary

"Today is a secret day. I curl my cat in my arms and say, "Ssshh, Chica. Can you keep a secret, silly cat?" Tia is turning 90 and Cecilia, her great-niece, wants to do something special for her favorite great-aunt. She looks around her house for something special to give Aunt Tia while her mother gets ready for a surprise party for Aunt Tia. The entire time Cecilia is looking for a gift, she is with her trusty cat companion Chica. After some time thinking about the perfect gift she finds a basket and creates a wonderful surprise for her great aunt Tia. Cecilia decides to fill the basket with things that she and Aunt Tia do together. The things Cecilia places in the basket are a book, mixing bowl, flower pot, a teacup, a red ball, and fresh picked flowers. When Aunt Tia arrives at her surprise party she is delighted to open the special gift Cecilia has prepared for her.

C. Critical Analysis

This is a heart-warming story about a little girl's love for her great Aunt Tia and how she expresses that love by preparing a special birthday gift for her. You can tell from the text the concern she has for finding the perfect gift for her aunt. "Chica and I walk around the front yard and the backyard looking for a good present. We walk around the house. We look in Mama's room. We look in my closet and my drawers."

This story offers many cultural markers that connect the the story to Hispanic American culture. The setting takes place in Cecilia's home with her family preparing for Aunt Tia's surprise birthday party. Their family's home is filled with color and traditional pieces from the Hispanic American culture. There are colorful fish, a dancing puppet, hand painted furniture, and bright, beautiful flowers. The illustrations are cut paper with dyes and they add to the festive atmosphere of the setting. The illustrations also demonstrate a love for family and caring towards each other which enhance the setting and the characters affection for each other throughout the story. I especially like the way on the first page Cecilia is holding her cat, Chica. Cecilia is also seeing hugging her Aunt Tia and her mother the same gentle way in the story.

Food also plays an important role in Hispanic American culture and this book is filled with traditional fare that is customary to this culture. When Cecilia wakes up and is having breakfast in the kitchen she notices her mother is cutting fruit for the party and smells a pot of beans bubbling on the stove. Cecilia also mentions how much she enjoys making "bizcochos", sugar cookies, with great Aunt Tia. Cecilia and her mother also fills a pinata with candy and her mother prepares small cakes for the party.

When describing the characters in this book they all have light brown skin tones, dark brown or light brown eyes, and brown or black hair, except for Aunt Tia whose hair is silver and worn in a twist on top of her head. All the physical characteristics are culturally authentic to the Hispanic American culture. Along with the character descriptions, the character's names play an important role in the cultural authenticity. The character names in the story are the cat , Chica and Cecilia. The author also uses kinship terms that show emotional closeness between Latino family members. The kinship terms Cecilia uses in the book are Tia and Mama. Another culture marker that plays a significant role in this book is language. Throughout the text, the Spanish language is mingled with English to remind the reader of words that may be familiar to them or introduce new words to readers who are not familiar with the Spanish language. The Spanish words that are mentioned and defined are: noventa anos, bizcochos, hiberbabuena, pinata, que pasa, and Feliz cumpleanos. This sprinkling of Spanish contributes to the books authenticity because it is used appropriately and does not distract or confuse the reader.

A final cultural marker that is important to Hispanic American literature is celebrations. From the beginning, the story is centered around getting ready for Aunt Tia's ninetieth birthday party. This theme of celebration contributes to the authenticity of the story. I also appreciate the way the book incorporates family throughout the book. It focuses on the importance of family and the relationships that are important to young and old alike. This is an enjoyable book for young readers.

D. Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: "Cecilia is excited by the approach of her great-aunt Tia's 90th birthday. The elderly woman has always been a special friend to both the bright-eyed heroine and her cat, Chica. For a gift, Cecilia hits on the idea of a basket filled with all the things that symbolize togetherness with Tia: a bowl for baking cookies, a cup for having tea,flowers for their times outside. Her delight in filling the basket is matched by Tia's as she enjoys the tributes."

Publishers Weekly: "Repetitions of the items inside the basket and the occasional use of Spanish words are helpful reinforcements for young readers. Two cavils: Mora's text tends to go on a bit too long, and the many asides Cecilia addresses to her cat Chica become somewhat intrusive as the story progresses. Lang's cut-paper illustrations provide a vivid picture of a diverse and dynamic Mexican American family. Warm brown skin tones contrast nicely with bold reds, blues and oranges to lend additional Latin flavor."

E. Connections

Look for these other books to explore more about Hispanic American Culture:

Cisneros, Sandra. Hairs / Pelitos. ISBN 0679890076.

Lomas Garza, Carmen. In My Family / En mi familia. ISBN 0892391634.

Mora, Pat. The Rainbow Tulip. ISBN 0027674010.

Soto, Gary. Too Many Tamales. ISBN 0698114124.