BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
Max shares how he can’t roll his Rs when trying to speak Spanish so he doesn’t even like to try. His ridiculing cousins don’t help. Every Sunday he and his abuela, who doesn’t speak English, cook together with the help of Lorito, a squawking, bilingual parrot who knows all the recipes and encourages Max to try. “Tú sí puedes!” When it is time to cook tres leches for the county fair, Lorito is not around to help, so Max steps up and helps his grandma in Spanish.
Alderman and Galotta depict the language barrier that often exists (and portrayed in many picture books) between the generations of recent immigrant families. This book does not stand out from the crowd either through the power of the story nor the quality of the illustrations but would be a solid addition if your collection needs a story like this. The endnotes include an author’s note about his son who struggles with Spanish though the author is bilingual, a glossary of several Spanish words used in the story, and a recipe for arroz con leche.
P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian
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