Thoughtfully designed, this will be welcomed by many who already speak the language, are learning or just wish to plunge...
A lovely and unencumbered picture book combines with an infectious CD to introduce Spanish through song.
Reminiscent of an Ella Jenkins recording and using very little English, Canetti introduces 25 simple rhymes common in the Spanish-speaking world. She begins her recording by explaining in both languages the eight different categories for the rhymes. These include taking a trip, “¡A Pasear!”; a day on the farm, “¡A La Granja!”; playtime, “¡A Jugar!”; bedtime, “¡A Dormir!” and more. Her soft, gentle voice with distinct Castilian diction slowly and patiently recites each rhyme, sometimes twice, so listeners can absorb pronunciation and inflection; this is followed by a musical version, with children’s voices singing some verses. And while there is no English translation throughout the pages of the book or within the recitations on the CD, key vocabulary is identified with good picture cues sprinkled among the illustrations. These are small and finely detailed, adding a seek-and-find aspect to the experience. In addition, endpapers provide translations and instructions for activity use with the rhymes (both in regrettably small type).
Thoughtfully designed, this will be welcomed by many who already speak the language, are learning or just wish to plunge right in for bilingual storytimes. ¡Que bueno! (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-84780-193-7
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: Oct. 2, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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