A charming bilingual offering.
Beloved Mexican TV character Chapulín Colorado presents everyday onomatopoeia in both English and Spanish.
Dressed in his iconic superhero outfit, el Chapulín Colorado (the Red Grasshopper) is a well-known Mexican TV character from the 1970s, still familiar to children today through eternal reruns. It is not necessary, though, to be familiar with the character to appreciate the book. Colorful, clean-lined illustrations and uncluttered pages center on the onomatopoeia and the bungling superhero. Children will take delight in finding out that these words that mimic the sounds of the things described are heard differently in the two languages: Knuckles on a door go “Knock Knock!” in English and “¡Toc toc!” in Spanish. A companion volume, Ellen, introduces the solar system as Ellen Ochoa, the first Latina astronaut, flies or floats by each planet. The illustrations and presentation in this book follow the same esthetic as the Chapulín Colorado book. The rhyming text informs readers of some characteristic of each planet in bilingual (English / Spanish) format: “Uranus got me a little dizzy / rotating on its side, it looks a little tricky. // El planeta Urano me mareó un poco / girando de lado, parece algo loco.” Though it is not necessary to know who Ellen Ochoa is to follow the book, it was a missed opportunity to not have included something about her in the book.
A charming bilingual offering. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: March 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-19-47971-41-7
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Lil' Libros
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Overall, disappointing.
A bunny, a kitten, a puppy, and a chick travel along lightly textured, color-coded “finger trails” displayed against white backgrounds in this busy addition to the Follow the Trail series.
An introductory spread instructs, “Use your finger to follow the trails,” while text points out when the path proceeds straight, loops, or zigzags. Shapes the reader will encounter on later pages are introduced, as well as the die-cut circle that foreshadows the animal that will be featured on the next page, a semiregular feature. The final spread serves as review, with the ribbons of color entwined. The four spreads in between—one for each animal—are dotted with animal facts and words of encouragement along the path that each animal follows to reach its toy or food. Some words in bold give directions; others are nouns, adjectives, and the animal’s sounds. Each animal is represented by a mix of photos and small graphics along its colored path. Farm, published simultaneously, uses the same formula to introduce a tractor, a hen and chicks, a cow and sheep, and piglets. With minimal information, these board books are unlikely to engage beginning readers, while the surfeit of required skills, confusing layout, and complex vocabulary are not appropriate for kids who need sturdy board books.
Overall, disappointing. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4654-6562-7
Page Count: 14
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
Interactive, reasonably durable, and (except for that “hive”) respectably informative entries in an above-average series.
“One Baby Bee” has other creatures to meet before she finds her 10 “buzzy” siblings.
First Baby Bee meets “Two wiggly worms,” passes “Three pretty flowers” to see “Four noisy birds,” and so on—the even-numbered animals all popping up in groups from beneath big, sturdy flaps (puzzlingly, the even numbers are not printed in boldface). Fuzziness rules in the pictures, as the bee (there seems to be only one, multiplied for the final scene) looks like a decorated yellow tennis ball, and, except for a flowerpot, a birdhouse, and nine wooden apples, all of the figures in the sunny garden scenes are crocheted or made from felt or cloth. The “hive” (actually, as is all too common, a wasps’ nest) Baby Bee’s family lives in has a soft, sculptural quality. Materials are more varied in the co-published First Words, in which some three dozen labeled toys, paper images, plastic and plush food, articles of clothing, and fabric play figures (including, as the only humanoid, white “Daisy Dolly”) aim to expand toddlers’ vocabularies significantly. Both volumes sport rounded corners and are printed on heavy, wipeable card stock.
Interactive, reasonably durable, and (except for that “hive”) respectably informative entries in an above-average series. (Pop-up board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4654-6840-6
Page Count: 12
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
