(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paula Barragán. Twelve Latino festivals, one for each month of the year, are described in brief poems accompanied by short explanatory paragraphs. Some of the celebrations, such as Cinco de Mayo and Día de los Muertos, will be familiar; others that are very specific to certain countries or ethnic groups may not be. Vibrantly flowing digitally enhanced cut-paper illustrations accompany the text.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Paula Barragan. These seventeen bilingual poems, in both Spanish and English, celebrate family, friends, and the Latino experience. The collection has a strong social conscience, but a few of the pieces seem like didactic exercises. The stylized illustrations provide a rich palette heavy on blues and green. Alarcón's introductory autobiographical note encourages readers to "keep on dreaming for good!"

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) PS Illustrated by Paula Barragan. "Brown as buñuelos / a crispy crunchy sound / Brown as a guitar / Pluck! Pluck! / Gettin' low down." A jazzy text full of Hispanic imagery and energetic illustrations introduce the Spanish names of basic colors. The premise is slight, but the book works well as a read aloud. A list of vocabulary words and a pronunciation guide are appended.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Paula S. Barragan. These jubilant poems salute mothers and grandmothers. The offerings, penned by thirteen well-known and emerging Latino writers, are narrative and impressionistic, speckled with Spanish, and by turns romantic, nostalgic, sentimental, heartbreaking, and humorous in mood. The mixed-media illustrations are drenched with colors that capture each poem's temperament and setting.

Reviewer: Nell Beram | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2001