Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx / La juez que crecio en el Bronx
Illustrator: Edel Rodriguez
Bilingual nonfiction picture book
For ages 6 to 8
Simon and Schuster, 2009 ISBN: 1442403039
Sonia grew up in a public housing project in the Bronx with her mother and her little brother. Her father died when she was only nine years old, and her mother had to work very hard to provide for Sonia and her brother. During the day, Sonia’s mother worked on a switchboard, and at night she did her homework for nursing school. Somehow, she found time to cook good meals for her children, and on the weekends, Sonia and her family spent time with their Puerto Rican relatives. They ate meals together, listened to music, and played games. For Sonia her family “surrounded her like a warm blanket.”
Sonia had big dreams for her future. She loved the Nancy Drew Mystery novels, and for a while she thought that she would become a detective when she grew up. Then Sonia found out that she had diabetes, and she had to come to terms with the fact that perhaps it would not be possible for her to be a detective. Perhaps, instead, she could become a judge, just like the ones that she saw on Perry Mason, which was one of her favorite TV shows.
This splendid bilingual picture book biography will give young readers a picture of what Sonia Sotomayor’s life was like when she was growing up. Readers will come to appreciate the trials she had to overcome, and the determination she had to have to make her dream come true.
