TALES OF EVA AND LUCAS

This Spanish-English picture book soars with three charming tales about the day-to-day adventures of two avian friends.

Eva is a young hen with a great imagination. It’s so great that at bedtime, she scares herself with make-believe monsters, and she’s unable to fall asleep. But that’s all right because Lucas, her neighbor and best friend, has a pair of “magic” socks that never fail to make him feel calm and safe. Since he’s a thoughtful, empathetic chicken, he lends Eva his socks, only to discover too late that now he’s the one who’ll be spending the night sleepless and afraid. The next morning, Eva’s imagination comes to their rescue, and the two manage to work things out so that from then on, both can be sure of getting a good night’s rest. The pair also like to share—provided they’re always “perfectly fair”—but how can they live up to such standards when, as is often the case, the bags of candy they buy contain an odd number of sweets? This challenge proves a bit more difficult, though Eva’s generosity—and Lucas’ sense of justice—saves the day. Whimsical black-and-white illustrations bring to life these endearing characters and the world they share with dogs, ducks and other types of birds. As a bonus, little ones may enjoy coloring in the drawings. Both the English and Spanish texts flow smoothly, and the book as a whole offers early readers and preschoolers great lessons in friendship, sharing and creative thinking.

An absorbing, educational book for adults to read to their children or for young readers to peruse on their own.