La Bellísima Ciudad

Book excerpt: The tragedy unfolds when both of Alicias parents pass away in a horrible accident. However, Alicia survives and is later adopted by her godmother from the Church. Alicias godmother enrolls her in a dual-language program in New York. She does well academically, but struggles with deep emotional feelings of hurt and despair when Mothers Day is celebrated towards the end of every school year. She cries and refuses to participate in any Mothers Day activities. One summer evening, when she was on vacation with Miss Runfo, she falls asleep and dreams about being taken to a faraway place called La Bellsima Ciudad. There she meets the king, who grants her a petition to see and be with her parents once again. Alicia is told by them to respect, love, and honor Miss Runfo who is now her mother. Alicias fourth grade bilingual teacher, Mr. Anderson, introduces journal writing to meet her social and emotional needs of revealing the truth about the deep secret that she has kept for years. Finally, Alicia is motivated and encouraged to make a Mothers Day card with colorful flowers and a poem for Miss Runfio to express her love and appreciation for a wonderful mom; and as the story goes she lived happily ever after and never cried again on Mothers Day. Walter has been an elementary and secondary bilingual and Spanish teacher for over thirty years for the Chicago Public Schools District 299, Evergreen Park School District 124, and Owego School District 308. He holds a Bachelors of Science degree in elementary/secondary education from Illinois State University. In addition, he has earned two Masters degrees in Bilingual Education and in School Leadership. He is the author of three published books from the AuthorHouse Publishing Company: Between Two Worlds (2005), Trust No Man (2011), and La Bellsima Ciudad (2016).