A Library for Juana

Module 3

Mora, Pat. 2002. A library for Juana: The world of Sor Juan Ines. Ill. By Beatriz Vidal. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-80643-1

Summary: Juana Ines lived in colonial Mexico in the 1600s. She loved books, even though she was too young to read. When her older sister went to school, she decided to go too. Even though she was small the teacher allowed her to learn along with the other students. As Juana grew, so did her desire to learn. Even though she wasn’t allowed to attend the university (where only men could go), she found a way to keep learning, reading and writing. She also helped to start one of the largest libraries in the Americas (at that time).

Critical Analysis: This picture book is historical because it is based on the life of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz who is well known in Mexico for her poetry. We do not have much personal information about Sor Juana other than when she lived and died. We do know something about colonial Mexico when it was ruled by Spain. References to the viceroy who was appointed to rule over Spain, the name of Nueva Espana (New Spain) give the story historical authenticity.

Sor Juana’s poems are the best way we have to learn about Sor Juana. Her poetry speaks of her feelings, have survived for hundreds of years and are still popular in Spanish speaking countries.

The story does seem to overly romanticize the experience of Juana Ines. Even though she was born in a rural village in colonial Mexico, the story makes her life seem idyllic. The characters in the story aren’t well developed and they seem to be too “nice” all the time. Even though her mother does her own housework, she always dresses very well (almost like the Hispanic version of June Cleaver).

The author incorporates Spanish words and phrases within the English text. This lends a Mexican flavor. Forms of address for family members are typically Mexican: Mama, Abuelo, Senora etc. Her poems are also written in Spanish.

Abuelo Pedro, her grandfather, appears to live with Juana and her family. Close family relationships are an important cultural marker in Mexican American Literature.

The role of women in the Mexican culture is traditionally one of submissiveness to men. This comes across in the attitude about Juana going to university. Even so, it’s obvious that the author is not writing about a stereotypical Mexican woman. Juana Ines received more education than most women in her time.

The emphasis of the Catholic church is strong in Mexican culture. It makes sense that if Juana Ines was more interested in learning than in her looks, choosing the church over marriage and family would be an obvious choice. In that time period and culture, there weren’t many options.

The brightly colored illustrations were created by Beatriz Vidal using a magnifying glass and small brushes in watercolor guache. The skin tone of Juana and her family is lighter and makes them appear more Spanish or European. A few of the characters have darker skin which would be more typical of Mexicans descended from the Mayans. This is a cultural marker which shows the diversity of Mexican people.

Because we do not have all the facts about Juana Ines, the author obviously had to use her imagination. While the story may be a bit unrealistic (I’m not sure if Juana really correctly answered all the questions from the forty scholars) we do learn a bit about her life and poetry. A glossary at the end of the book defines some of the Spanish words and we also find an English translation of one of her poems there.

This book is recommended for ages 5-8.

Review Excerpts:
“An internationally known bibliophile and poet whose works are studied in university Spanish literature courses, she was a Renaissance woman in the most complete sense of the word. Mora's beautifully crafted text does credit to its subject, following her from birth to death. Sor Juana Ines comes across as intelligent, headstrong, humorous, and kind, and her retreat to the convent as a place of learning seems natural.” (School Library Journal, 2002)

“Even with the book's rather abrupt ending, the heroine's journey, coupled with Vidal's depiction of expressive faces and lovely renderings of flowers that spill from the borders of the pictures make for a memorable volume.” (Publishers Weekly, 2002)

Connections:This book could be paired with other picture books about libraries. For example, you could use Tomas and the Library Lady, also written by Pat Mora. Other titles could include Library Dragon (by Carmen Agra Deedy), Library Lion (by Michelle Knudsen), Library Mouse (by Daniel Kirk) and The Boy who was Raised by Librarians (by Carla Morris)