K-Gr 4 An excellent Spanish-English collection of poetry on animals. In an author's note, Paschkis explains that although she is neither a poet nor a native Spanish speaker, she was inspired by the work of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and that she began writing these poems in Spanish and then translated them into English. The Spanish and English poems are on opposite facing pages, with the artwork seamlessly sewing both versions together. Rendered in gouache, the folk-art inspired illustrations are at times dazzling with their use of color and subdued at others, as in the light, sage greens and grays of "Heron." Though Paschkis employs beautiful use of language in the English versions, such as her poem about a turtle who keeps jewels in her box ("When she walks/she listens to the rattle of the gemstones") and another about a dog whose wagging tail "fans wild happiness" into the world, the Spanish translations are marred by some awkward phrasing. VERDICT A book that takes wing and flies, flutters, and sometimes falters. Teresa Pfeifer, The Springfield Renaissance School, Springfield, MA