"I'm Just Like My Mom/I'm Just Like My Dad" by Jorge Ramos

I'm Just Like My Mom/I'mJust Like My Dad

Written by Jorge Ramos
Illustrated by Akemi Gutierrez
HarperCollins Children's Books
$16.99
Ages 3-6

Hola y bienvenidos!
It’s an honor to be a contributor of the Latin Baby Book Club blog. My articles will feature interviews with authors, and I’ll give you the inside scoop on the new children’s books and also highlight some oldies but goodies.

The first book I want to share with you is "I'm Just Like My Mom/I'm Just Like My Dad" by Jorge Ramos. If you're like me, you grew up watching Jorge Ramos on the evening news. Or you may have read one of his 8 books about politics, travels, immigration and journalism. This time Jorge writes a very special book, inspired by his son.

Ramos explores the many ways in which all children are just like their parents—in English and Spanish! From Mom’s green eyes and loud sneeze to Dad’s long legs and love for reading, "I'm Just Like My Mom/I'm Just Like My Dad" highlights all of the traits we share with our parents. Readers will be delighted to find this title is really a combination of two books when they flip the picture book around. One side describes a son’s perspective, the other the daughter’s making this the perfect pick for boys and girls alike.

Questions for Jorge Ramos:

1. What was the inspiration behind "I'm Just Like My Mom/I'm Just Like My Dad"?
My son Nicolas was the inspiration. I had promised him to write a book about him and this is it. I knew that he was going to be the most difficult critic. But he already read it and gave his approval. He did find himself in the book and many members of the family.
But the idea for this book came about after the death of my father 13 years ago. Back then I had an interview with the Chilean writer Isabel Allende. And she gave my the best advice I have ever received. She told me that the people we really love never die because we repeat them in our movements and attitudes, and we carry them in our faces, in our body and in our behavior. After a while, I started noticing that I did many of the things that my father used to do, from drinking chocolate milk at night to the very strange practice of trying to catch flies with our bare hands. Now, almost every month I discover in me things, conducts and attitudes that defined my father. Therefore, I'm never alone.
When my son asks," Who do I look like?" I have a book for him.



2. This is your first book for children; what do you enjoy most when writing it?

The wonderful thing about writing fiction is that I was able to bring together my father -who died 13 years ago- and my son -who was born 10 years ago. Obviously they never met each other but in the book the share many things. It was magical. My other eight books had to do with politics, travels, immigration and journalism. But this last one was special. If there is paradise, it is in a place in which I can include all the people I love. And I found it in fiction.
3. How can parents encourage their children to celebrate and embrace their Latino roots?
It was very important to publish this book in English and Spanish. Actually, it's a bilingual book that can be read in four different ways: from left to right is for boys and from right to left is for girls. Like it or not, many parts of the United States are already bilingual. Bilingual is better. This is the only country that I know in which there are people who think that to speak one language is better than two or three.
This country gave the opportunities that my country of origin, Mexico, couldn't give. And I am very very grateful. But I don't want to lose my Latino roots. We speak Spanish at home, we visit Mexico at least once a year, we communicate constantly with my family and my children are very proud of their heritage. Not only that, by being bilingual they'll have more opportunities in the future than children who only speak English.

4. What books are on your nightstand now?
I just finished The Angel's Game, Carlos Ruiz Zafon's latest book. Marvelous. His previous, The Shadow of the Wind, was also fantastic. He must be the best Spanish-language author nowadays. I tend to read two or three books at a time. In Praise of Slowness gave me a lot of perspective about how we use our time. Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food has changed the way I eat. And Pico Iyer's book on the Dalai Lama is a pure joy; one of the best writer's talking about an unlikely and wise protagonist like the Dalai Lama.

5. Tell me about the book club you created in 2002.
People used to say that Latinos didn't read and that, if they do, they do not read in Spanish. Well, they were wrong. And we proved that in the first Book Clun on Spanish-language television that we created at Univision in 2002. It was called Wake Up Reading. And I'm glad to report that we woke up millions of people. Now, it would come as no surprise that many Spanish-language books sell much better that their English-language counterparts. Why? simple. The United States is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, with the exception of Mexico.
6. You have interviewed some of the most influential leaders and writers in the world… is there anyone from history that you would interview if she/he were alive today?
Gandhi has always been a fascinating person for me, as well as those who changed history. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Miguel Hidalgo and Benito Juarez would make a fantastic group for my Sunday morning political program.

7. I know you play soccer with your children, does all your family cheer for the same soccer club?
It's our Saturday routine. The only difference is that, a few years ago, Nicolas would come to the field to see me. Now, I go to the field to see him play. It's just fair, isn't it?



About Jorge Ramos:
Jorge Ramos has been the anchorman for Noticiero Univision since 1986. He has received many prestigious honors including eight Emmy Awards and a spot on Time magazine's list of "25 Most Influential Hispanics." Ramos is the author of eight books for adults. This is his first children's book.


About La Casa Azul Bookstore:
La Casa Azúl Bookstore is a place of knowledge, art, creativity and culture. Our mission is to provide the community with contemporary bilingual literature, featuring works by Latino authors. La Casa Azul Bookstore offers an opportunity to share the richness of the Latino experience in writing, art and culture. Sign up for our list serve to receive our newsletter with updates on events, book club meetings, and book news.

Aurora Anaya-Cerda
La Casa Azul Bookstore
East Harlem, New York

Website: www.lacasaazulbookstore.com
MySpace www.myspace.com/lacasaazulbookstore