(3) K-3 Translated by Gabriela Baeza Ventura. Illustrated by Felipe Ugalde Alcántara. Poet Argueta has created a trilingual homage to the importance of water for life. His free verse poem highlights the water cycle from water's perspective beside Alcántara's verdant gouache paintings with fluid and rounded forms. Each spread includes a stanza in Spanish and English; a Nahuat translation (the language of Argueta's native Pipil-Nahua Indians of El Salvador) of the entire poem is appended.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(1) 4-6 Translated by Elisa Amado. Illustrated by Alfonso Ruano. Argueta's bilingual collection gives voice to refugee children who emigrate from Central American countries to the United States in search of safety or better lives. The poems, written in the first person, present the candid perspective of the children's experiences; they include whimsical imagery but also scary threats. Delicate illustrations present both realistic portrayals and surreal depictions that complement the textual imagery.

Reviewer: Alicia K. Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2017

(2) K-3 Translated by Elisa Amado. Illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh. This bilingual cooking poem plays on the multiple meanings of salsa for a musical recipe (although the lack of measurements may leave some readers perplexed). As a boy and his family prepare salsa roja, his imagination runs wild, ingredients becoming instruments. Onomatopoeia and detailed ingredient descriptions play on various senses; Mesoamerican-inspired drawings in earthy tones suit the poem's combination of traditional and modern.

Reviewer: Celia C. Perez | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2015

(3) K-3 Translated by Elisa Amado. Illustrated by Domi. Part recipe, part poem, this book takes the reader step by step through the creation of corn tamales with cheese filling. Accompanied by Domi's color-rich, whimsical watercolors, both the Spanish and translated English text of this bilingual volume lyrically convey the magical art of cooking. The elements of the recipe that may require adult supervision are marked with an asterisk.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Margarita Sada. A young girl makes guacamole for her family in this fanciful book whose narrative is both poetry and a recipe. A liberal use of images and similes make Argueta's text sing. Sada's imaginative oil and digitally modified illustrations change perspective as the story progresses, showing children playing on enormous avocados and showering with cilantro in the kitchen sink.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Fernando Vilela. A young boy prepares rice pudding. Using vivid imagery, Argueta describes how the rice sings and the milk becomes a waterfall as it's added to the pot. The text can also serve as a recipe; stages for which an adult's help is necessary are marked. Vilela's blocky, swirling illustrations capture the text's magic.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Rafael Yockteng. This book takes a simple recipe, and through poetic metaphor, turns it into a celebration. Readers can actually make the soup by following the story (steps requiring adult assistance are marked); cheerful, cleanly composed illustrations interpret some of the stages. The Spanish and English versions of the text both use the magic of language to evoke the mystery of cooking.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Lucía Angela Pérez. These poems by Salvadoran author Argueta are written in the voice of a Pipil Nahua Indian boy named Tetl. Many of Tetl's poems are about his connections to the natural world and his cultural identity. The simple language of the poetry is accompanied by colorful iconic visual imagery. The English and Spanish versions of the poems are equally effective.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) PS Illustrated by Elizabeth Gomez. In this predictable bilingual book, five-year-old Luna is nervous about her first day of school. That night her mother reads her "a story about a little monster who goes to school." The next morning Luna is afraid of monsters in her class; of course, she overcomes her fear. The bold folk-art-style illustrations creatively convey Luna's growing confidence.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Carl Angel. Based on a true incident in San Francisco's Mission District, this bilingual story is written by Salvadoran-American poet Argueta. The acrylic, colored-pencil, and photo collage illustrations bring this long story about the dreams of one Salvadoran-American family to life. This is a fine example of what a book with a bilingual text can and should be.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth Gomez. "Here in the city there are wonders everywhere / Here mangoes / come in cans / In El Salvador / they grew on trees." These bilingual poems depict the poet's childhood in San Francisco's Mission District, where he and his family lived after escaping the civil war in El Salvador. Gómez's illustrations blend dreams and reality, bringing depth to the sometimes pedestrian poems.

Reviewer: Elena Abos Alvarez-Buiza