In Juana Martinez-Neal’s book, Alma and How She Got Her Name, the story of a young girl learning about her heritage is bolstered by the encapsulating design that transcends not only the gutter but generations as well.

Throughout the book, Alma’s father gives her an explanation of where each of her names come from in their family. The spread on pages thirteen through fourteen crosses over the gutter. On the left, readers see Alma’s father, and on the right, readers can see Alma crossing over to meet her grandfather, José. Although the entire space is utilized, nothing is lost in the gutter. In this scene, Alma has successfully transcended the gutter from where she was placed previously to reach across to her grandfather. Finally, design is clearly at work when considering the background of the different frames. The place where Alma and her father are, presumably the present day, is filled in with white space. There is nothing there except the chair and them. While in the depictions of José, the background is given life. José is pictured painting in what is clearly a room with furniture, a floor, and a wall. Alma is literally peering into his world which lives inside of her name.

On page thirteen, the framed portrait of Alma’s grandfather immediately draws readers' eyes to the main focus of the page: José. Frames are very important to Alma and How She Got Her Name. When considering the spread, there are three subtle frames in the image: one where Alma’s father is standing, one where Alma is standing, and one where José is standing. This design theme of three continues throughout the image. In fact, there are three characters in the scene: Alma, her father, and her Grandfather. This theme continues in José’s painting where there are three figures clearly visible.

Alma and How She Got Her Name is a powerful story that is bolstered by the expert design aspects at play. From framing techniques to gutter work and themes of threes, readers transcend time with Alma while learning about her names and her family.

Word Count: 348

Works Cited:

Martinez-Neal, Juana. Alma and How She Got Her Name. Candlewick, 2018.