(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Edel Rodriguez & Antonio Martorell. This valuable collection combines two previously published works (Where the Flame Trees Bloom and Under the Royal Palms) with a new set of stories from Ada's childhood memories of living in Cuba. Focusing on family and friends, the stories encourage readers to take a second look at the people and things in daily life. Black-and-white photos and illustrations are included. Glos.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by David Diaz. Free-verse narrative poems offer a personal look at the diverse lives of Latino children; essays giving readers cultural and historical context follow each. Common themes such as immigration are explored, but this book's greatest strength is its respectful treatment of oft-ignored cultures such as Sephardic Jews and Zapotec peoples. Diaz's compelling hand-cut black-and-white illustrations lend a folk-art feel. Reading list. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Siena Leslie

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Gabriel M. Zubizarreta. Amalia is devastated when she learns her best friend is moving to California; fortunately, her abuelita comforts her with stories about loved ones far away. When Abuelita suddenly dies, Amalia must draw on what her grandmother has taught her to accept her grief and anger. This portrait of a multigenerational immigrant family features sensitively drawn characters and a low-key story. Concurrently published in Spanish.

Reviewer: Martha Walke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2012

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Gabriel M. Zubizarreta. When Amalia's best friend Martha moves away she turns to her grandmother for comfort, but when her grandmother dies, she has to find the inner resources to carry on. This Spanish-language edition makes the tale of love and loss accessible to readers who will gravitate to the familiar cultural elements of the story. Concurrently published in English.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) PS Illustrated by Ulises Wensell. English version by Rosalma Zubizarreta. This illustrated version of the well-known traditional Spanish nursery rhyme "Diez perritos" provides a great opportunity for bilingual storytimes. Lively contemporary-set pictures put the playful pups front and center; there's even a list of the breeds at the end. This is a perfect example of what publishers should be doing for the bilingual/Spanish-language market.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) 4-6 Mexican American fifth-grader Margie tries hard to project an all-American image. This works until her cousin Lupe arrives from Mexico to live with Margie's family. Alternating narration, injected with Spanish-language phrases, brings out the difficulties of language-learning and peer acceptance from each girl's perspective. Ada and Zubizarreta provide a sympathetic view of an immigrant child's experience.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Angela Domínguez. Pet parrot Perico knows how to say "Let me help!" He repeats this statement as his (human) family members prepare for the San Antonio Cinco de Mayo festival. They shoo him away, but to everyone's surprise he eventually finds a way to help. Warm-hearted illustrations--from a bird's-eye view--support the family-centered text, printed in both English and Spanish.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) K-3 Colección Luz Verde series. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. In this very simple story, Daniel takes care of his pet, a baby chick. Warm illustrations show the dedicated boy and his growing pet ("Daniel fed Jen every day. Jen got very big"). The Spanish translation is fairly accurate, though there are a few omissions from the English and a wrong word in the second appended activity.

Reviewer: Alissa C. Salamone

(4) K-3 Colección Luz Verde series. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Daniel and his friends wonder what will hatch from the egg Daniel finds. In this bilingual edition, the text on a few of the pages is hard to follow, as the English and Spanish seem to run together and the pages look cramped. The translation itself is fine, but a separate Spanish edition might have worked better.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Leslie Tryon. Unlike the other Hidden Forest books, this installment forgoes letter-writing, instead presenting the Hidden Forest News. The newspaper covers storybook headlines plus sports, community happenings, and advertisements. Tryon's black-and-white drawings enliven the articles and features; full-page color illustrations are set between the issues. For Hidden Forest fans, this book offers all the fairy-tale news that's fit to print.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2007

(3) K-3 Translated by Rosalma Zubizarreta. Illustrated by Viví Escrivá. This collection presents nineteen traditional Spanish-language Christmas carols along with English translations. Section introductions in both languages describe related holiday traditions. The song translations make occasional minor changes for the sake of rhythm and rhyme, but only when the general meaning can be preserved. Colorful illustrations of squat, doll-like figures display Latin American holiday practices. Includes music for six songs.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 This collection presents twelve Latino folktales, some well known and some more obscure, each of which concludes with thoughtful source notes. The four illustrators' styles, although different, are unified by some common design elements and complement the stories they accompany. Sections titled "To Begin a Story" and "To End a Story" give Spanish- and English-language equivalents for traditional story starters and endings.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) PS Illustrated by Maribel Suárez. Lullabies, games, nursery rhymes, songs, and riddles, presented in both English and Spanish, make up this bilingual collection, which is enhanced by cheery illustrations. Two problems limit the book's usefulness: the introductory material is presented in English only (which doesn't help Spanish-speakers) and the English translations are sometimes extremely loose (which doesn't help someone wishing to better understand either language). Ind.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Elivia Savadier. A young girl spends Saturdays with her English-speaking grandparents and domingos with her Spanish-speaking abuelo and abuela. The double-page spreads show Saturday and Sunday activities mirroring each other and function as a translation for Spanish words in the text. The watercolors convey a feeling of warmth for both cultures.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. A very easy easy reader tells of a small boy's attachment to a baby chick, his care of her ("Daniel fed Jen every day"), and his excitement when Jen grows big enough to have chicks of her own. "Now I will have lots of pets!" The warm, simple, satisfying story is enhanced by humorous illustrations of farmyard, boy, and chick/hen.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Leslie Tryon. In this third collection of letters back and forth between the storybook residents of Hidden Forest, the wolf bad guys are turning their attention to poultry. The format is the same as the first two books: each double-page spread comprises a personal letter and a lively pen-and-ink and watercolor illustration. In addition to being a creative letter-writing lesson, this book offers readers a chance to spend some time with old friends.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2002

(3) K-3 Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Daniel and his friends take turns guessing what will hatch from an egg he found. His friends think the egg contains an ostrich, alligator, or duck, but Daniel believes the egg belongs to a more tractable animal. Eventually, a small, quiet lizard emerges. An easy-to-read text and attractive collage-style illustrations make for an enjoyable beginning reader.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lori Lohstoeter. Field Mouse fears that since he can neither croak, jump, nor swim like Frog, they cannot be friends. After he warns Frog of an approaching falcon, however, he realizes that he, too, has talents, and their friendship blossoms. Full-page acrylic illustrations of Field Mouse's pond and forest home combine with painterly close-ups of the friends framed in woodland patterns to make this an attractively designed story.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Reg Cartwright. In this adaptation of a Spanish tale, Matías rescues a mother and her daughters, who have been transformed into a tree bearing three oranges. The fairly lengthy text ends with an unusual twist: Matías marries one daughter, but the remaining two reject his selfish brothers. Tones of orange, gold, and brown unify the distinctive oil paintings, which feature sturdy, simplified figures.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) 4-6 Black-and-white snapshots illustrate this companion to Where the Flame Trees Bloom. Stories and remembrances--some gentle, some sad or humorous--flesh out the author's childhood in a small Cuban town and demonstrate the importance of family, friends, neighbors, and teachers to a young girl. An epilogue urges readers to recognize the stories around and within themselves.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges