Reading, an endless journey

Solomon Two
Ramón García Domínguez
Illustrations by María Fernanda Mantilla
Bogotá: Editorial Norma, 2014,
128 pages.
Red Paper Tower Collection
978-958-8860-52-7
This guide was written by María Cristina Rincón

The author and his work

Ramón García Domínguez, When this author talks about what he has done in the
Life says it started by studying to be a teacher, but shortly after
started working as such, left that profession and exchanged it for his true ones
vocations: journalism and literature. As can be seen by reading their
books, he likes to laugh and that is why he also says that he is so reckless that he chose between
all the possibilities of writing children's and youth literature. But it is not limited
to her, as he himself says, "I write at every moment what my body asks of me":
biographies, reports, theater, essays, stories, comic scripts, and also articles
journalistic hubs.
He has dedicated a large part of his informative and literary work to children.
He has created and directed children's supplements in some newspapers and also
radio programs. He is the author of several children's books, including Solomány
By all the gods…!, from Editorial Norma.
 He has received several awards as a journalist and as a writer. Among his li-
Prize-winning brothers are counted A cricket from the year two thousand and something (mention from the Foundation
Santa María, 1980), Renata plays the piano, studies English, and etcetera, etcetera, etcetera
(Ala Delta, 1992 and Honor Roll of the CCEI award in 1993). In 1999, he received the
Miguel Delibes Award for his literary career.
Ramón García Domínguez was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1943. He studied
Teaching in Bilbao and later Journalism at the University of Navarra,
where he obtained his doctorate in Information Sciences. He practiced for a very short time the pro-
profession of a teacher to devote oneself body and soul to journalism and literature.

María Fernanda Mantilla: What she has liked the most in life
María Fernanda Mantilla is drawing, that's why since she was a child she decided to-
to dedicate his life to drawing and painting, areas in which he has taken several courses
studies, in addition to graduating as a graphic designer. She also
enjoys teaching others the art of illustration and design and is dedicated to
illustrate children's books such as Conspiracy in Magasthur (2011) and The
Veracruz Street Clan (2009), both published by Norma.
With his work, he has participated in
various exhibitions inside and outside of
country.
In his free time he likes to my-
to reach for the stars and listen to music, read books and
watch cartoons; he likes to surround himself with clocks-
just because he likes his way, no matter the time
what they mark.
To learn more about your work and the pro-
personal projects he develops you can visit his
page, www.mariafernandamantilla.com

Solomon Two. Perhaps many of those who read Solomon, published in

1987, they have remained anxious to know what happened to Soloman, the hero who
defeated Superman and Captain Marvel and left more than one speechless
follower of superheroes, being a simple man, without special powers,
that you could find around the corner... But will it be that simple in-
against ordinary people who are capable of heroic acts in their daily lives?
And what does it mean to be a hero or act as one? The author explores this question in
this book, where Captain Marvel and Superman await revenge, where An-
Gela, the woman whom Solomon has saved in his first adventure, becomes
in her friend and in her accomplice to overcome a new challenge: to find the dove of
peace, that someone may have kidnapped... Again, common sense and the intelligence
agency leads the hero to achieve a feat in this fun adventure.

Exploration and motivation

Read a superhero comic strip with the kids.
2. Talk to the children about which superheroes they know and which ones are their favorites.
characteristics.
3. Write on different pieces of paper the names of comic book superheroes,
the mythology, the books or the television that the students are familiar with. Intro-
Fold the papers and put them in a bag, and ask each child to choose one.
Then suggest they imagine a situation where it is necessary for them to appear...
He is your hero to help you with his special powers. Encourage them to develop.
a comic of four or five panels in which they show how they are saved
hero
Ask them to draw the main situations of their story.
Listen to their complete story and transcribe it at the bottom of each drawing.
Guide them to write typical comic expressions in the speech bubbles.
(onomatopoeias, short expressions).
Organize a book with these comic strips and motivate the students to
I recommend that they read it at home and with their families.
4. Ask the students to ask their parents if they know any heroes.
of daily life. Have them tell who, what they did, and when. Invite them to re-
Draft two paragraphs with them in which they tell these stories. Encourage them to
share them in class. If you have photographs of the hero, even better.
5. Research in the library about famous couples, great loves between them.
Mythical beings or characters. Invite them to observe whether love gives more strength or
values the characters or makes them weak.

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 6. Tell the children the story of the dove of peace and how it has become
in a symbol of peace.
7. Observe with your students the cover of the book and invite them to speculate about
What do you think they will find in this story? Then read the review of the...
cover and ask them if they think the man on the cover has the cua-
qualities to meet a challenge like that. What would those qualities be?

Reading of... Solomon Two

1. Ask the students to closely observe the illustrations of the
pages 15 and 19 and that in their notebook they write a paragraph in which they say to
Which of the two superheroes would you trust to protect your life and why.

Encourage children to look for comic strips and movies with their grandparents and parents.
covers of some of the superheroes mentioned in the book and to read them
see each other.
3. Ask the children to make two lists of missions they would assign to a
conventional superhero and one like Soloman. Once developed, alien-
I aim to share them with the rest of the class.
4. Suggest to the students that they reflect with their parents on this sentence.
excerpt from the book (p. 14):
Because sometimes, especially in everyday life, it is more important to know
to think that having a flying cape.
Talk and write about... Solomon Two
1. To start the conversation about the book, ask your students if they
I liked the book, tell them what you liked and invite them to share what they liked.
to them and what not. Ask them:
Were you surprised by the ending or did you expect it? Why?
If they were the authors of the book, would they change anything? If so, invite them to
write what they would change, what actions the characters would take.

2. Ask the children to fill out a table like the following in which com-
Stop the main superheroes of this story.

Superhero Superman Captain Marvel Solomon

Power

Fortress

Weakness

Qualities

Defects

Loves (couple)

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3. Ask them to create a poster at home reflecting on this question:
What does Ángela need to become a superhero?

4. Ask the students to write a letter to the author in which they give their opinion.
union about the characters of Superman and Captain Marvel that he has created for
this novel: do they act like the heroes they have seen in the movies or in the
Comics? Would they relate to Solomon as they do in the novel? Are they
the students according to the author?, why?

Collective construction
1. Invite the children to dress up as superheroes and present themselves in the classroom.
Each one:
It will inform about who the superhero is, if this is not obvious.
He will say what his power is.
• It will present a global, national, or local problem that your superhero
He wants to solve it and will say what he has planned to resolve it.
• Make a graphical record of the presentations and also in writing: note down
who represents each child and what problem is posed as a mission. With
with these supplies, create a bulletin board for the classroom.

2. Divide the children into groups of three or four and pose a question to each one.
research topic to solve it together in the school library, consul-
both informative books and the internet. Here are some options:
What is war.
What is the UN.
Conflicts after the creation of the UN.
What is the arms race.
Choose some wars and ask them to investigate: why did they start?
Who allied? How was it resolved?
 What is a peace agreement?
What is needed to be a hero.
Anecdotes about everyday heroes.
- Anecdotes about mythological heroes.
Anecdotes about war heroes.
Biographies of peace heroes (suggest names like: Nelson Man-
dela, Mahatma Gandhi, Rigoberta Menchú, Wangari Maathai, Shirin
Ebadi, Martin Luther King, Chico Mendes
What is the Nobel Peace Prize, why is it awarded, five institutions or
people who have received it and why they were awarded.
What is a superhero
— Biographies of superheroes
• Invite them to present their conclusions or the anecdote that impacted them the most in
class.
• Guide them to create posters that will help them explain to others.
groups that have learned.

3. Discuss with the children:

What do superheroes have in common?
What kind of hero is Solomon?
Is Ángela a heroine?
Are superheroes needed to have a peaceful world?

Give the word to the children and start taking notes on a board. Then read with
they drew their conclusions.

4. Organize an exhibition in the hall with the comics, posters, and displays.
works created by the children. Choose what should be displayed with the competition of
the students invite kids from other classrooms to the exhibition, the teachers-
sores and the families of the children.

Links to the internet

1. Link the theme of the weaknesses of superheroes with the relationship that exists.
between kryptonite and uranium, a theme that is explored in:

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bre.html

2. Relate the extraordinary abilities that superheroes have with the

extraordinary abilities of some human beings and their weaknesses;
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 3. Inquire with the children about the historical relationship there is between Captain Mar-
and Superman, in:
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4&per=335

4. Delve into the use of the dove as a symbol of peace showing the
children some of the doves that Pablo Picasso painted and share with them
parts of the text published in:
Palomas always
doves

Related themes and readings

1. Enjoy the movie with the kids
credible, where the stereotype is played with
of hero and the everyday. Subsequently-
I suggested to the children that they compare to
this family of superheroes with their
heroes of the book.
2. Watch the movie The Incredibles with the kids.
Castle in the Sky, by Hayao Miyazaki
that explores the theme of superheroes,
the war and the peace; its history begins in
a Europe at war to tell the his-
story of a wizard with mysterious power and
a girl who arrives in her world. Discuss
What superpowers do children have?
in play and if the war is justified.
3. Present the children with another facet of the pa-
messenger reading with them In the
Ark at eight, by Ulrich Hub with illustrations
Jörg Mühle's actions. Converse with the
children: this messenger pigeon looks like
Who is the protagonist Solomon? Why?
 Other books by the author

In this very funny story, Solomán is a hero who has no power-

supernatural beings. He is 'just a man' who achieves, with common sense, what
the other superheroes cannot achieve with their magical and extraordinary powers.
All children live surrounded by superhero stories. This reading is the
pretext for reflecting on how readers view these superheroes, whether they are
a multitude of qualities and skills that they would like to have or rather, it is about
of pure fiction with which they hardly entertain themselves.

In classical mythology, some of the ...

the greatest adventures of all time. In it, it appears-
recent gods, monsters, mermaids, giants, and many others
extraordinary beings. In For All the Gods...!, Homer
is transported to our time, and tells once again the
fantastic feats of their favorite protagonists. Expo-
in a pleasant and fun way the keys of the mito-
Greek logy.

Relationship with other knowledge

Social sciences
1. Ask the children to research why the UN was created and what relation it has.
it has with Unicef and with children's rights. Guide them to...
investigate what your rights are.
2. Suggest to the children to investigate what wars are currently happening in the world.
where they occur and why they are generated.
3. Invite them to reflect: when there is war, which rights of children are violated?
What?
4. Encourage them to inquire about how the large roads are constructed in their region.
Has something been done or is there a plan to do something similar to what is intended in the book?
with Mount Augusta? If so, what are its advantages and disadvantages, what
What consequences does it have on the environment and those who inhabit it?

Natural Sciences
1. Motivate students to research the different types of
palomas que hay, ¿dónde viven?, ¿cuál es su alimento?, ¿qué hábitos tienen?,
¿qué las caracteriza?, ¿de qué colores y tamaños son?, ¿qué sonidos emiten?,
How do they relate to people? How do they relate to each other?
according to their habits, are they a good symbol for peace?

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2. Suggest to the students to research about the great herons: how do they...
plazan?, ¿cuál es su hábitat?, ¿dónde viven?

Values
Motivate your students to reflect on the value of freedom. Is it
Is it possible to live in a golden cage? What does one sacrifice if they do? What do they gain? What do they gain?
Does CIA compensate for not being free?
The theme of the book also allows me to reflect with my students about
the heroism that involves helping another without interest, for the value it holds
to contribute to the well-being of others and not to show how good one is at something.
In that sense, are Superman and Captain Marvel really heroes?
Reading comprehension test
Solomon Two

____________________________________________________

Literal reading
1. Mark with an X the correct answer. In the context of the story, to smooth...
it means:

a. Gently run your hand over a surface as if you were fixing it

or she will smooth

— b. Give it the shape of a corn husk.

— c. To cut the hair or mane of a horse.
to get excessively dressed up.

2. Mark with an X the correct answer.

a. To settle the issue is the opposite of:

___ Solve a problem
___ Close a trench.
___ Create a problem.
Open a trench for the water to flow.

b. To say that Solomon is self-absorbed is the same as saying that he is:

___ dedicated to satisfying their whims.

___ focused on his own thoughts, isolated from what surrounds him.
___ sad.
___ worried

c. Someone hurt in their pride is someone

___ someone who has been told that they are not as good at something as they think.
___ who loves oneself too much.
___ whom they have excessively praised.
___ who rushes to seek cuddles.

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 d. When Captain Marvel says that we need to bring Solomon down a notch.
what it doesn't mean is that...

___ we must congratulate him for his feat.

It is necessary for me to stop smoking.
One must take away the arrogance.
___ is important that you learn to put out the fire.

3. Explain what Solomán means when he says that he has thrown a lantern.

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

4. Fill in the following crossword with the names that are used in Spain for:

Horizontals

To mock a person or thing.

2. Someone with glasses (derogatory). Four-eyes or glasses-wearer.
Someone angry, upset.
4. Someone whose identity is not known or is not wanted to be expressed; a so-and-so
or a chick.
5. Demented man.

Verticals

Someone who is throwing a tantrum.

7. Sweaters.
8. Tone or manner of speaking ironically.
9. Spin to show joy in which the feet collide in the air.
10. Derogatory term to refer to a man of little importance, a
inexperienced.
 6 10

e 7 c

j 8 h

1 p I t o r r e a r s e i

a r e q

b s t u

i é i 9 i

e i n z l

2 g a f o t a s t a i

a í p c

3 c a b r e a d o n a u

o n 4 t í a

e t

t r

5 c h a l a d o

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 5. Join the two parts of the words with their meaning.

sorry amazed Lose the spirit, the energy to do something.

mouth low Something that is done on the spur of the moment, that is
shoot very close.

suso blushing Someone who has been mentioned before.

of the lives Comic character that has been created

extraordinary feats because it has
physical or mental qualities superior to
the current of people.

super to cheer up Someone whose face shows their

indignation or suffering.

of the fitting What medium expresses his surprise.

semi said That tilts its head down, by the

sadness, the grief.

cabbage jug Half embarrassed, half red.

semi hero Someone who boasts about being brave and says that
use force and violence.

6. Tell in your own words what the expression 'make a heart out of guts' means.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________
 7. Choose from the box the adjectives that best describe each character.

Cunning Naive Brave Roguish Malicious Fun Intelligent

The Conceited Pessimist Shy Stingy Optimist Proud
Delicado Enclenque Forzudo Hipócrita Presumido débil Amable
Generous

________________ ________________ ________________ _______________

________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ _______________

________________ ________________ ________________ _______________

8. Organize the following sentences according to the order in which they occur.
the novel.

Ángela and Solomán go out dancing like any other couple.

___ Superman and Captain Marvel fail in their attempt to find the
dove.
Ángela and Solomán converse about the plan he has made to circumvent
the challenge of Superman and Captain Marvel.
Solomon convinces the United Nations General Assembly to
make peace; that is, there will be no more wars, nor manufacturing and selling or
purchase of weapons.
___ Superman and Captain Marvel challenge Solomon to a rematch.
The dove of peace returns to its golden cage: the headquarters of the UN.
It is announced that the dove of peace has disappeared; it is presumed that it has
was kidnapped.
Ángela plans the way to find the dove.
Solomán defeats the two superheroes with the help of Ángela.
___ Solomán and Ángela travel in the car of an elderly woman who admires
Solomon.

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9. Complete the following form:

In this novel, the narrator addresses the ________ to tell him how a
man _____________ and ______________ defeats two superheroes
(______________ and _________________) by achieving that __________
don-
he has fled because ___________________________________________
______. Furthermore, _______________________ in a new challenge that brings you
they have proposed, using their _______________________ and the company of
________________, which is your _____________________.

Inferential reading
1. Mark with a T the true statements and with an F the false ones.

a. Superman thinks that Solomon is not a hero because he...

He/She is sly.
He/She likes to think before speaking or acting.
He/She is not strong.
___ has no special powers.
___ She laughs really hard when she's happy.

b. Ángela thinks that Solomán is a hero because...

He is sensitive, considerate, and honest.

___ cares about helping others.
Think before you act.
He trusts in himself and knows what he is capable of.
He has the power to fly to be with her.

2. Complete the blanks:

Solomon thinks that Superman y Captain Marvel is

______________________ because both ________________________
___________________________. That's why when at the Superheroes Club-
Captain Marvel is looking for him, Solomon already knows that he _____________
_____________________________________________ and for that reason it adjusts-
lanta a ____________________________________________________.
3. Choose an option and justify your answer.

a. The dove of peace is special because...

___ is patient: it can wait centuries for people to decide to act rightly.
___ knows the true intentions of people.
___ informs people when the world is safe for them.
___ is condescending: accepts the living conditions imposed on him/her,
___ symbolizes the best intentions of peace.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

____________

b. Those who assume that the dove has been kidnapped because it could never
to leave the cage by herself...

They underestimate the dove: they think she is incapable of realizing

about what is happening in the world.

they live in a gilded cage, meaning they sacrifice their freedom in exchange for
to have luxuries, money, power…
___ do not realize what is happening in the world.
___ think that people cannot change their way of living.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

____________

4. Reflect on these words from Ángela: "a friendly word also

(can heal). A flower, a word, can be miraculous." Have you ever
Have you felt or thought that this is true? What miracles can a ___ perform?
flower or a word? Give an example.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

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Do you think the narrator mocks superheroes in this story? Justify.
your answer with examples taken from the book.

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

6. Explain why for Solomon, who rarely misses having magical powers,
It is so important to have a magic word.

_____________________________________________________________

7. If you were Solomon, how would you have felt in this situation?

translatedText

__________________________________

__________________________________

_________________________________
8. What quality or qualities did Solomon draw upon to achieve that the
guard allowed him to pass until he reached the office of the general secretary of the
UN? Choose one or more words from the box and explain your choice.

Stubbornness Perseverance Trust Pride

9. When the dove of peace returns, Solomon sees that 'It carried a little sprig of green
in its peak and it seemed to Solomon that it shone as if it were freshly
cortado, as if it would never dry out!” This means that…

___ was a plastic branch.

Solomon wished that everything would always turn out well.

There will always be hope for a better world for people.

The dove has a good eye for choosing the best branches.
___ (give your opinion) ___________________________________________

Critical reading
Finally, it seems that Solomon defeated Captain Marvel and Superman.
Do you really think they defeated them?, why?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

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2. Do you think Solomon is a superhero? Why?

_____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

3. If you could be like one of the characters in the book, who would you like to be?
Be? Justify your answer.

Draw the best moment of this story in your own way.