Thursday, April 11, 2019

Picture Book Review: ¡Vamos! Let's Go to Market! by Raul the Third


¡Vamos! Let's  Go to Market! by Raul the Third. unpgd. Versify/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 2, 2019. 9781328557261. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

When my sons were small, they absolutely adored Richard Scarry books. They were a bit tough to read aloud though. Thank goodness the boys preferred to lie on the floor and pore over the illustrations. They could be quietly occupied for some time. We had this oversized version of one of them that was also a board book, so it stood up to much manhandling (boyhandling) and many page-turns. This wonderfully nostalgic graphic novel picture book evoked these fond memories when I read it. 

Cheerful Little Lobo rises with energy and a smile, ready to get moving. He and his faithful doggie pal, Bernabé eat a hearty breakfast, grab their wood-slatted wagon and head out for their busy day at the market. I mean it when I say that there is something new to discover on every reading. I just read it for my third time and just noticed that Little Lobo and Bernabé have an unnamed roommate!

Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text and in the illustrations. The vibrant market comes to life with a sort of sherberty palette. The animal denizens are a diverse bunch and visual humor is infused throughout. This is one I could imagine my boys loving to pieces. This is one I'm gifting. I'm also recommending it to the Spanish teachers in the district. 

¡Vamos! Let's  Go to Market! belongs everywhere - pre-school to middle school (and I could make an argument for high school), Spanish classroom, art classroom, any classroom. Make sure to check it out.




No comments:

Post a Comment