(3) K-3 Illustrated by Juan José Colsa. This cheerful picture book introduces the “customs, culture, and people” of the island of Cuba in haikus in both Spanish and English. Bright mixed-media illustrations feature people of various races, ages, and genders relaxing in nature, cavorting through Havana, and donning guayabera shirts to enjoy a night of salsa dancing. Back matter adds more information about Cuba.

Reviewer: Monica de los Reyes

(2) K-3 Translated by Elisa Amada. Illustrated by Alba Marina Rivera. The narrator’s father has been working in the United States while she lives with her mother and grandmother in an unspecified Spanish-speaking country. When Papá sends money for his wife and daughter to join him, there’s both elation and sadness as the narrator realizes what she’s leaving behind. Conversational text and expressionistic illustrations detail life in a family of three generations of women.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012