Maya Papaya and Her Amigos Play Dress-up by Susan Middleton Elya. Illustrated by Maria Mola. unpgd. Charlesbridge, October, 2018. 9781580898034. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
Maya Papaya is not only adorable, she possesses a great sense of fashion and a vivid imagination. She also owns an awful lot of "stufties" and loves to dress them as well as her dog and cat up in a variety of outfits.
Stories in rhyme can be hit or miss. This one hits it out of the park seamlessly weaving Spanish words into jaunty rhymes that read aloud easily. Digitally created pastel illustrations depict Maya and her amigos in a variety of activities through the four seasons.
The Spanish words are italicized and can be easily decoded from text and illustrations. A glossary at the back provides a pronunciation guide as well as the proper use of "the," el, la, los and las.
Maya Papaya and Amigos Play Dress-up belongs in any pre-school to lower elementary classroom or library. Besides its obvious value in helping young students acquire Spanish, it celebrates imaginary play, getting out in nature, weather and the seasons. Such a sweet, versatile book!
¡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.
November is Picture Book Month! To honor it, I will read one a day and try to review it. We'll start off with:
Mama's Blanket/ La Manta de Maya by Monica Brown. Illustrated by David Diaz. 32 p. Children's Book Press/ Lee & Low, August, 2015, 9780892396. (Won)
Oh how I adored Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman (Scholastic, 1993). It was also a favorite of my sons. This version is just as endearing featuring a bilingual text on the recto side with Spanish words embedded in the English side.
Maya's grandmother makes her a lovely blanket embroidered with blue butterflies but when it gets frayed, Abuelita helps her make it into a dress, then a skirt, followed by a shawl, a scarf, a bookmark and finally a hair tie. When that is lost, Maya creates a story.
Exuberantly illustrated by David Diaz, this book is a treasure from end-page to end-page. The colors are rich and the cast of characters are diverse. This would be an amazing addition to any school or Spanish classroom library.
