Felita by Nicholasa Mohr

First published: 1979; illustrated

Type of work: Domestic realism

Themes: Race and ethnicity, family, emotions, friendship, and death

Time of work: The 1970’s

Recommended Ages: 10-13

Locale: New York City

Principal Characters:

• Felita Maldonado, an eight-year-old girl, who develops self-confidence despite her encounters with prejudice against her as a Puerto Rican
• Gigi, Felita’s best friend, who, like Felita, must learn that friendship requires trust and honest communication
• Mami, Felita’s name for her mother, Rosa Maldonado, who wants the best for her family but often seems unable to help Felita
• Abuelita, Felita’s grandmother, who helps her cope with prejudice and other problems

The Story

Felitaopens with boxes being packed for a move. Felita Maldonado, the youngest child and only girl in her family, does not want to leave the comfort and familiarity of her block. Although her mother, Mami, says that they must move so the children can attend better schools and have more opportunities in life, Felita does not want to leave her friends—especially her best friend Gigi. Mami wants Felita to help with the packing, but Felita goes with Gigi on an unsuccessful shopping trip to a used clothing store to find a yellow dress like Gigi’s to wear to Gigi’s upcoming birthday party.

The new neighborhood is much cleaner than the old, and the Maldonados have a larger apartment. Felita’s father is away most of the time working overtime to pay the higher rent, but both parents believe their children will have more advantages in the new area. When Felita first ventures outside, some of the neighborhood girls invite her to play hopscotch with them, and she thinks maybe things will be all right.

The mother of one of the girls suddenly calls to them; Felita watches as a group of adults talk with the girls, and all are staring at her. Soon both the girls and the adults are yelling, “Why don’t you stay with your own kind?” and calling out ugly words. Before she can return to her apartment, she is pushed and shoved, and her dress is torn. Mami tells Felita it is best to ignore them, that she does not want to start trouble. This is inadequate comfort for Felita, but the next day she finds on her bed a bright yellow party dress, the one she wanted. She ignores her neighbors and goes to Gigi’s birthday party, happy that she and Gigi look like sisters in their matching dresses. She does not, however, tell Gigi about the trouble in the new neighborhood; she feels embarrassed and hurt and simply wants to forget the incident. A gang of boys attacks Felita’s brother Johnny, again yelling racial insults, but Felita’s parents take this second incident more seriously. They speak with their landlord and realize that he wants them to leave. After their mailbox is broken and things are thrown at Mami, they return to their old neighborhood.

Felita still does not want to admit her troubles to Gigi; she turns instead to her grandmother. Abuelita feeds her flan, comforts her, and inspires her with stories of Puerto Rico. She tells Felita to be proud of herself and never to feel inferior despite cruel remarks by hateful people.

It is Abuelita who gives Felita hope and comforting advice when Gigi, rather than Felita, gets the starring role in the school play. Gigi did not tell Felita of her plans to try out for the role, and their friendship is strained and must be mended by open honesty. There are other changes in the old neighborhood, too: a fire destroys a favorite candy store, there are reports of muggings and gangs, and the brothers and other boys Felita had enjoyed are growing up and are not interested in playing with little sisters.

In addition to these changes comes another: Abuelita becomes ill and dies. The story ends with Felita thinking that one day she will visit Puerto Rico, her grandmother’s homeland, to see the beautiful wildflowers Abuelita always loved, and she will make a big bouquet of them just for Abuelita.

Context

Felita is Nicholosa Mohr’s fourth book, her first for younger readers. Mohr was born and reared in New York City in a neighborhood much like Felita’s; her stories are noted for their realistic portrayal of life in New York City’s Puerto Rican barrios.

The story fits a prototypical growing-up pattern in juvenile literature, with familiar motifs such as the kindly grandmother and a distracted mother, problems in relationships with friends and classmates, and the main character’s growing awareness of differences. Characterization, however, is not developed, and even Felita seems more a representation of an idea than an authentic girl recording her daily life. What is emphasized is theme—respecting racial and ethnic differences—and the writing is at its best in the scenes in which Abuelita counsels Felita to respect herself and to avoid perpetuating hatred.

Like other twentieth century writers who write for both a specific minority audience and also to educate other readers, Mohr’s use of Puerto Rican Spanish phrases is an integral part of her message, and the authorial voice, through Abuelita, specifically praises bilingualism as an advantage and not a handicap. Most of the Spanish, though not all, is explained in context.

Perhaps the most significant feature of Felita in terms of Mohr’s work is that it establishes a character and a family she uses again in Going Home (1986). In this more skillfully developed sequel, the Maldonado family visits Puerto Rico and Felita stays on for the entire summer with her newfound relatives. Felita finds herself subjected to prejudice there, too, by island Puerto Ricans who see her as a Yankee Nuyorican whose accent and attitudes differ from their own. She again remembers the analogy her abuelita made between racial and ethnic groups and the many variety of flowers, and, as she had promised, she picks a bouquet of beautiful wildflowers in memory of Abuelita and the loving spirit she represents.