A simple story with cute illustrations, but the lack of care given to the Spanish translation results in an unbalanced...
This title is one of several by Ziefert in the bilingual ¡Hola English! series, intended to appeal both to Spanish-speaking readers learning English and the reverse.
Unfortunately, the story falls flat, and the Spanish translation leaves much to be desired. The author follows a familiar pattern, with a narrator asking several bears, “Are you my brown bear?” Readers meet various characters such as “big bear” and “dig bear” until finally locating the missing teddy bear. The Spanish employs a literal translation of the English text, which means that the wordplay and rhymes are completely lost. Some of the word choices are bizarre (such as translating “scary” as “espeluznante,” not in common conversational use), and many make the Spanish much more difficult than the early-reader–level English that it accompanies. Readers looking for beginning bilingual titles that are more equally engaging across both languages may want to consider choices from Pat Mora’s My Family / Mi familia series, and for a rhyming bilingual book that excels in both English and Spanish, try Hello Night / Hola noche, by Amy Costales and illustrated by Mercedes McDonald (2007).
A simple story with cute illustrations, but the lack of care given to the Spanish translation results in an unbalanced bilingual book as a whole. (Bilingual early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-60905-512-7
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Blue Apple
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In a charming fantasy that burnishes the New York cityscape with an affectionate glow, a little girl and her mom walk along the avenue. The child, clearly loving the taste of the word in her mouth, says, “It’s twilight” over and over to the folks they pass: a storekeeper, a couple in love. As the keeper of twilight, the girl flies to the “place that lived after the sun and before the moon” beyond the Chrysler Building, where she shines up a few cherubic-faced stars, reads the sun a bedtime story, and scolds an owl for opening an eye too soon. She encourages the sweet-faced crescent moon to rise over the Statue of Liberty, and then returns to her mother’s side, taking her hand, for now it’s nighttime, and “She wasn’t in charge of that.” The watercolor-and-ink paintings indeed have the tender dimness of what the French call l’heure bleu. McPhail makes a seamless transition from the streets and sidewalks to mystical aerial views wherein the girl soars with a flock of pelicans over the Brooklyn Bridge and even hushes a pack of coyotes in the russet desert on her twilight run. The language is expressive but never mushy, and sure to delight. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-689-81975-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2000
Pig is tired of his nothing-but-apples diet from Apple Farm. Apples roasted, baked, sauced and pied are all very well, but he would love to eat something else for a change. With all the defiance a small pig can muster, he busts into the vegetable garden and "accidentally" swallows some squash. Using a light touch, Thurman allows her little pig to demonstrate organic gardening in his pen by stretching in the mud and turning the dirt over. “Rumble” goes his tummy, and “Ploop!”—out pop the squash seeds onto the newly furrowed ground. The rest of the book finishes in a hurry, with a squash plant appearing after some rain. While the unanswered question of where all the apple seeds Pig had eaten previously went lingers, the charming artwork, using cut paper and stamping, succeeds. Ward makes effective use of found materials, allowing apple-based recipes and gardening instructions to peek through lightly applied paints. Mock-dictionary definitions add to the fun: "n. apple / boring, same / over it!" These and other details will help carry readers over the holes in the story. (endnotes on organic gardening) (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-935279-24-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
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