(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sebastià Serra. Young Francisco, on his saint day, is entrusted to retrieve mangos from the tree past his "crabby Tía Clara's house." Bees buzz around the tree, and Francisco must figure out how to outsmart them. Proverbs in Spanish appear throughout the text as family members help him accomplish his goal. Eye-pleasing digitally colored pencil and ink illustrations feature lots of mango-shaped, rounded edges.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Angela Dominguez. A little girl spends Christmas in Miami's Little Havana. Her family members include her in their Cuban holiday traditions, especially preparations for "La Noche Buena" (Christmas Eve). On the big night, she joins in a feast, attends midnight mass, and dances until the sun comes up. Upbeat acrylic illustrations in tropical colors capture the warmth of family togetherness and joyous celebration.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2010

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alfredo Aguirre. Two Spanish-speaking mouse siblings provoke a cat, who chases them back to their picnic site, where Papá, who has earlier bragged about his muscles, turns coward. Peppered with Spanish words and phrases, this tale shuns predictability to the end, when Mamá, who has scared off the cat by barking, notes that "It pays to speak another language!" The acrylic images feature four hilariously hammy mice. Glos.

Reviewer: Nell Beram