CARTA DE TITA BETY PARA MI NIETO LEO

Name: CARTA DE TITA BETY PARA MI NIETO LEO
Author: Beatriz E. Ruiz Silva

DICHOS QUE APRENDÍ EN MÉXICO: SECOND EDITION

by Beatriz E. Ruiz Silva Beatriz E. Ruiz Silva ; illustrated by Nestor Sistos García ; Nestor Sistos García ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

An approachable beginner’s guide to Mexican idioms.

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Silva presents a Spanish-language book of sayings from Mexico for young readers.

In this book, the author shares short “dichos,” or sayings, from her Mexican heritage. From the outset, the author indicates that these maxims are not meant to be taken literally. She proceeds with themed batches of dichos, adding brief commentary and context to each saying or group of sayings. The book has aphorisms for everything from food to friendship to intimate partners and epigrams about appearances, attitudes, and appropriate behavior. Readers will learn why it’s advantageous to get up early (“Al que madruga Dios le ayuda”) and why they should grab the opportunities in front of them rather than daydream about all the other possibilities (“Más vale pájaro en mano que ver un ciento volando”). Other idioms remind people to be generous (“Donde come uno comen dos”) and to focus on one thing at a time (“El que come y canta, loco se levanta”). A saying about the fate of a sleepy shrimp who gets taken by the current (“Camarón que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente” speaks to the importance of assertiveness. Some phrases cross cultures and will be recognizable to English speakers, such as “Eat to live, not live to eat” (“Hay que comer para vivir y no vivir para comer”) and “Not everything that glitters is gold” (“No todo lo que brilla es oro”). The book provides an engaging survey of Spanish-language idioms that will help young readers learn about Mexican culture. These dichos will be familiar to native Spanish speakers and will introduce new Spanish-language learners to sayings they’ll certainly encounter if they travel to Mexico. Silva’s explanations might impede individual interpretations, however—some may hear “Barriga llena corazón contento” and simply conclude that a full stomach equals a happy heart, but the author goes a step further, instructing readers that they should not deal with difficult topics on an empty stomach, since hunger will make bad feelings worse. Graphics by García add visual flair and illustrate the sayings for young readers who may be grappling with the imagery evoked by the words.

An approachable beginner’s guide to Mexican idioms.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: March 11, 2024

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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THE CRAYONS GO BACK TO SCHOOL

by Drew Daywalt ; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 16, 2023

Nothing new here but a nonetheless congenial matriculant in publishing’s autumnal rite of back-to-school offerings.

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The Crayons head back to class in this latest series entry.

Daywalt’s expository text lays out the basics as various Crayons wave goodbye to the beach, choose a first-day outfit, greet old friends, and make new ones. As in previous outings, the perennially droll illustrations and hand-lettered Crayon-speak drive the humor. The ever wrapperless Peach, opining, “What am I going to wear?” surveys three options: top hat and tails, a chef’s toque and apron, and a Santa suit. New friends Chunky Toddler Crayon (who’s missing a bite-sized bit of their blue point) and Husky Toddler Crayon speculate excitedly on their common last name: “I wonder if we’re related!” White Crayon, all but disappearing against the page’s copious white space, sits cross-legged reading a copy of H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man. And Yellow and Orange, notable for their previous existential argument about the color of the sun, find agreement in science class: Jupiter, clearly, is yellow AND orange. Everybody’s excited about art class—“Even if they make a mess. Actually…ESPECIALLY if they make a mess!” Here, a spread of crayoned doodles of butterflies, hearts, and stars is followed by one with fulsome scribbles. Fans of previous outings will spot cameos from Glow in the Dark and yellow-caped Esteban (the Crayon formerly known as Pea Green). (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Nothing new here but a nonetheless congenial matriculant in publishing’s autumnal rite of back-to-school offerings. (Picture book. 4-6)