This is a beautiful bilingual children's story written by Amada Irma Pérez, which is based on her own experience. In this story a little girl has to share a room with her five younger brothers, and all she wishes for is to have her own room. She finds a little space in the small house that could become her room, and after talking to her mom, everyone in her family helps make her dream come true. Her brothers help move things around, pain the room, her uncle brought her new bed, and everyone worked hard until she finally had her own bedroom, where she added books and read to her brothers at night.
Thinking about what we have read for our Girlhood Studies course about bedroom culture, this story exemplifies the meaning a bedroom can have for girls. The character in the story makes it clear that she loves her brothers and loves spending time with them, but she also feels she needs her own place. She imagined her bedroom as a place "with my own bed, table, and lamp -- a place where I could read the books I loved, write in my diary, and dream." I think every girl -- especially girls who have had to share their bedroom with other siblings -- can identify with this. I always wanted a place for myself, so I play with dolls without other people interrupting; as I grew older I wanted a place where I could write or talk on the phone, or just simply be able to think peacefully.
A girls' bedroom is a sort of sacred place, that's why I liked this book so much, because it shows how meaningful it is for girls to have their own place and also shows a family coming together to help make that possible. She didn't care that her bedroom was small, she was just happy to have her place.
Reference:
Pérez, A. I. (2012). My Very Own Bedroom/Mi propio cuartito. New York: Children's Book Press.
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