The Best Tailor in Pinbauê

Gr 2–5—While his mother works at a factory, young narrator Edinho spends afternoons with his Uncle Flores, a tailor in the fictitious Brazilian river town of Pinbauê. Edinho loves to help his uncle cut, iron, and sew while listening to stories of how Pinbauê has changed over time. That story-within-a-story posits readers right when the town loses its traditional economy with the arrival of the factory: men in "dark suits" come and build it, and the pollution leaves people without clean water and fishermen without fish. His uncle only sews gray factory uniforms. When the factory gets cheaper uniforms flown in, Uncle Flores loses his contract. One day, Edinho finds a surprise in his uncle's shop and the key to what the townspeople really need, bringing his uncle's business back to life. The Portuguese words in the story are translated just below the text, eliminating the need to flip to a glossary. The collage illustrations, rich with patterns and textures, echo the work of Ezra Jack Keats and employ dark skin tones, portraying Brazilians of African descent. This import imagines the first step toward a more ecologically sound future. It's an ode to joy, community, and local craftsmanship to offset the loss of contact with nature. An afterword by the author-illustrator details the plight of Brazil's Sao Francisco River, feared by many to be on the brink of disaster if it is rerouted.