My Analysis of "From the Bellybutton of the Moon"

From the Bellybutton of the Moon is a volume of short poems which hinge around Mexico's culture and natural beauty, which collectively describes the theme for each of the poems in this book. Having read From the Bellybutton of the Moon in a literature course, I would like to share my analysis of this colorful and entertaining poetry book designed for young children.

The namesake poem in the collection, "From the Bellybutton of the Moon" (parts 1 and 2) tell of the memories of a child's trip to a Mexican town where his mother was raised. The sights, sounds, and smells of the town's local scene and vivid, if brief, references to his grandmother's home exude from each of the lines. Part 1 is full of imagery and sensory details, whereas Part 2 describes on a personal basis the protagonist's connection to his Mexican culture and his grandmother's explanation of an Aztec city named Mexico, built in a lake and literally meaning "from the bellybutton of the moon."

"Ancient Wisdom" is a poem which is rife with scenes from Mexico's agrarian culture. The poem describes the work which goes into the day-to-day operations of a small family dairy farm.

"Keys to the Universe" is a brief poetic journey into the young lives of children who learned the alphabet in their grandfather's living room. This piece hearkens to the close-knit family structure seen among Mexican families and, further, stresses to young children the importance of understanding the value or reading.

"Question" and "Sea" both remind readers of the vitality and beauty of coastal Mexico. The ocean is of great importance to Mexico, which is surrounded east and west by the Atlantic and Pacific, respectively.

"Green Grass" and "Rainbow" both contribute to featuring the beauty of Mexico prairies and open spaces, many such areas being used for raising crops and cattle farms.

"Mariposa" is another nod to Mexico's agrarian societies and to the colorful fauna which can be found throughout much of the country.

"Mountain Mist" is a scenic ode to Mexico's beautiful mountain ranges.

As a reader, I quite enjoy all the poetry in this book. However, if I had to choose my least favorite piece, I would have to point to "Bilingual." Not because of the poem itself, per se, but merely because of a stylistic issue I have with both the English and Spanish versions and how they relate to each other (each poem in this book has complementary English and Spanish versions). In the English version of "Bilingual," one is introduced to a dog which barks in Spanish ("Guau guau") then repeats his barking in English ("Bow wow") for listeners who don't understand (26-27).

This is a cute concept. However, one reads in the Spanish version that he also barks first in Spanish, then afterward in English, in case the listener "[does not] understand" (26-27). Though purely poetic license, I do have to wonder on a logistics note why a Spanish reader would not first understand "Guau Guau" and then have to afterwards hear the English "Bow wow" to "understand" what the dog is saying.

My favorite poem is "We Are Trees." This piece embodies a sweet, simple, and lovely idea: "Our roots connect with the roots of other trees; our branches grow wanting to reach out to other branches" (29). This is a beautiful way to describe the relationship that we can share with others - that we have a bond either as a family, by national culture, or by spirit - which is interwoven and integral to whom we are.

There is also the pun that, in our family trees, if we go back far enough, we may find that we can connect ourselves to complete strangers thanks to common ancestors. There is also the implication that through "wanting to reach out to other branches" (done through marriage and relationships) we can further build a complex and beautiful network of roots and branches representing a common identity and, indeed, the lives of future generations.

Resources

My reading of "From the Bellybutton of the Moon," by Alarcon, F. Children's Book Press, 1998.