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CM . . . .
Volume VI Number 15 . . . . March 31, 2000
Pedro is disappointed with the plastic soccer ball his parents give him
for his ninth birthday. He had wanted a white leather ball with black
patches, like the ones real soccer players use. To Pedro, living in an
unidentified Latin American country, life is confusing. He wonders why the
streets of his town are filled with soldiers, and why his mother and
father spend every evening listening to the radio. Then, one afternoon in
the middle of a soccer game, something terrible happens. Soldiers drag his
friend Daniel's father away. Pedro learns that Daniel's father has been
arrested because he is against the dictatorship. He remembers hearing the
phrase "military dictatorship" on the radio, and he soon learns that his
father is also against the dictatorship. Pedro is worried. Is his father
going to be taken away? Is Pedro, himself, against the dictatorship? The
next day, a representative of the government, Captain Romo, visits Pedro's
school and invites the children in his class to write a composition. The
student who writes the best composition will receive a gold medal and
carry the flag in the Patriot's parade. The title of the composition is to
be: "What My Family Does at Night." Pedro is stumped. His head is "...as
empty as a piggy bank with no money in it." He tells his friend, Juan,
that, if he wins, he will sell the medal and buy himself a size five
soccer ball made of leather with black patches. "Then he wet his pencil
lead with a bit of spit, took a deep breath and wrote: 'When my father
comes home from work...'"
Written by Antonio Skarmeta, world-renowned Chilean author of The
Postman, The Composition is a subtle and moving story. Through
the eyes of a sensitive nine-year-old, the author shows readers the
struggle of ordinary people to resist a repressive system. The terrifying
impact of such a system on families is powerfully presented in Skarmeta's
deceptively simple prose. Wonderfully detailed full-page illustrations by
Spanish artist Alfonso Ruano give the reader a sense of being there. The
artist's portrait of Captain Romo, hugely superimposed against the
backdrop of Grade 3 children, is particularly chilling.
This is a story which can - and should - be read and discussed with
children from grades three through six. It is one of a growing number of
picture books in which the author develops a serious theme by placing an
appealing young protagonist in a harshly realistic setting. School
librarians might well consider purchasing multiple copies of The
Composition or using their influence to persuade classroom teachers to
buy extras for use in literature circles. Discussions arising from the
reading of this book will certainly be lively and guaranteed to expand
young readers' understanding of the world beyond their experience. If the
excellent explanatory note, entitled "Dictatorship" and found at the end
of the book, is presented as an introduction to a reading, discussions
should prove even more fruitful.
Highly Recommended.
Valerie Nielsen is a retired teacher-librarian living in Winnipeg, MB.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association.
Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice
is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without
permission.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - March 31, 2000.
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Reviewed from prepublication copy.