(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tanja Bauerle. Using a "House That Jack Built" structure, Bertrand describes how a town comes together to build a park. In the bilingual version, the building materials are first introduced in English then later repeated in Spanish. The conceit works well; a vocabulary page is appended in the bilingual edition. Stiff illustrations accompany the texts. Review covers these titles: The Park Our Town Built and The Park Our Town Built / El parque que nuestro pueblo construyó.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tanja Bauerle. Using a "House That Jack Built" structure, Bertrand describes how a town comes together to build a park. In the bilingual version, the building materials are first introduced in English then later repeated in Spanish. The conceit works well; a vocabulary page is appended in the bilingual edition. Stiff illustrations accompany the texts. Review covers these titles: The Park Our Town Built and The Park Our Town Built / El parque que nuestro pueblo construyó.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bonnie Adamson. Young Paul doesn't want to go to bed, so much so that he sprouts an (imaginary) tail and becomes a terrifying monster. After some soothing by his parents, he settles down for sleep. The story is slim in both English and Spanish; the conflict is resolved without much happening. However, the childlike pictures are eye-pleasing. Review covers these titles: Bedtime Monster and Bedtime Monster / ¡A dormír, pequeño monstruo!.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) K-3 Hugo gets caught up in a series of adventures while running an errand for his mother. On a quest for soap, he returns home caked in mud and needing a bath (enter: soap). An occasional effort is made to translate the embedded Spanish words in the story. The cheerful and colorful exaggerated illustrations are somewhat more successful than the text. Glos.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bonnie Adamson. In Strong, Willie envies the strength of his friend Manuel who, in Tall, wants Willie's height. Eventually, both boys realize they're okay just the way they are. The illustrations, though dated-looking, add gentle humor to the purposeful texts. Review covers these titles: I Wish I Was Strong like Manuel and I Wish I Was Tall like Willie.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bonnie Adamson. In Strong, Willie envies the strength of his friend Manuel who, in Tall, wants Willie's height. Eventually, both boys realize they're okay just the way they are. The illustrations, though dated-looking, add gentle humor to the purposeful texts. Review covers these titles: I Wish I Was Strong like Manuel and I Wish I Was Tall like Willie.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bonnie Leick. A girl hopes for "a day that never ends," and the moon grants her wish. She eventually realizes, "Nighttime is the time for rest, / a time to gain energy for a new day." The Spanish translation isn't an exact match for the English text; though lyrical, both are awkward in places. The soothing pastoral illustrations resemble greeting-card art.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Esther Szegedy. This retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood" is set in the desert and features a brown-skinned girl who encounters a hungry coyote while en route to her abuela's house. Polette smoothly integrates Latino elements (e.g., spicy tamales) into his text. Although Szegedy's illustrations might have benefited from a more focused palette, her coyote is a distinguished villain who gets his just desserts.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 During her vacation in Washington, DC, young Anna sends back postcards to her family and friends. Each double-page spread contains perky spot art, a photograph of a tourist attraction, Anna's postcard with information about the attraction, and three random facts, which are also translated into Spanish. The gimmicky framework may catch readers' attention.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) K-3 Translated by Eida de la Vega. Illustrated by Bonnie Adamson. In Strong, Willie envies the strength of his friend Manuel, who, in Tall, wants Willie's height. Eventually, both boys realize they're okay just the way they are. The illustrations, though dated-looking, add gentle humor. The bilingual texts are uneven; some of the vocabulary words are more difficult than others. Glos. Review covers these titles: I Wish I Was Strong like Manuel and I Wish I Was Tall like Willie.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) K-3 Translated by Eida de la Vega. Illustrated by Bonnie Adamson. In Strong, Willie envies the strength of his friend Manuel, who, in Tall, wants Willie's height. Eventually, both boys realize they're okay just the way they are. The illustrations, though dated-looking, add gentle humor. The bilingual texts are uneven; some of the vocabulary words are more difficult than others. Glos. Review covers these titles: I Wish I Was Strong like Manuel and I Wish I Was Tall like Willie.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth O. Dulemba. In this southwestern-flavored folktale retelling, Jack is replaced by Paco and his beanstalk by a gigantic chile plant. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the English-language text, adding spice and facilitating learning of simple Spanish vocabulary. Desert-hued pencil and digital illustrations nicely enhance the telling--with a twist ending. Glos.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Dani Jones. Gustavo is the only member of his family who can't play an instrument. He tries his brother's violín, his uncle's trompeta, and his father's guitarrón, but comes into his own when he discovers his talent for cantar. Deep-hued caricature illustrations (some over-the-top) trace Gustavo's emerging sense of self. Glos.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Translated by Eida de la Vega. Illustrated by Bonnie Adamson. Freckle-faced Abby wants to wear glasses like Rosa while Rosa wishes for freckles. The girls improvise (e.g., Rosa dots her cheeks with makeup; Abby wears her granny's reading glasses), but they realize their efforts aren't worth the hassle. Pencil and watercolor illustrations add gentle humor. The bilingual text is uneven; some of the Spanish includes difficult or incorrect vocabulary words. Glos. Review covers these titles: I Wish I Had Freckles like Abby and I Wish I Had Glasses like Rosa.

Reviewer: Alissa C. Salamone

(4) K-3 Translated by Eida de la Vega. Illustrated by Bonnie Adamson. Freckle-faced Abby wants to wear glasses like Rosa while Rosa wishes for freckles. The girls improvise (e.g., Rosa dots her cheeks with makeup; Abby wears her granny's reading glasses), but they realize their efforts aren't worth the hassle. Pencil and watercolor illustrations add gentle humor. The bilingual text is uneven; some of the Spanish includes difficult or incorrect vocabulary words. Glos. Review covers these titles: I Wish I Had Freckles like Abby and I Wish I Had Glasses like Rosa.

Reviewer: Alissa C. Salamone

(4) PS This story portrays a child's dreamy nighttime romp through the snowy wilderness, and the intricately detailed illustrations evoke an appropriate surrealism. This edition uses the bilingual first edition's appended poem as the main text (in English only here). The poem is still self-conscious, but this is a more accessible presentation.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Esther Szegedy. This retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood" is set in the desert and features a brown-skinned girl who encounters a hungry coyote while en route to her abuela's house. Polette smoothly integrates Spanish words into his text, and although Szegedy's busy illustrations would have benefited from a less anarchic palette, her coyote is a distinguished villain who gets his just desserts, Latin style. Glos.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS This wordless picture book, the premise of which seems lifted from Briggs's The Snowman, portrays a child's dreamy nighttime romp through the snowy wilderness, and the intricately detailed illustrations evoke an appropriate surrealism. There's a superfluous poem in both English and Spanish included at book's end--the only justification for the misleadingly bilingual title.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin