This bilingual Spanish/English picture book celebrates an interracial love affair between two women. Princess Li lives with her father, King Wan Tan, in a generic East Asian country where she frolics with a white woman, the red-haired, green-eyed Beatrice. When she refuses to choose a husband, the palace sorcerer obeys the outraged king's demands, turning Beatrice into a bird. The two lovers are finally given Wan Tan's permission to marry, however, after Beatrice-the-bird saves the king from being poisoned by the deceitful sorcerer. Repetitive, awkward prose (perhaps due to the translation) and cluttered, oddly distorted illustrations mar this already emotionally flat book that lacks either the visceral power of traditional folklore or the empowering message of modern tales. Although the moral is explicitly spelled out at the end ("Isn't love more important than anything?"), readers are left with many questions both plot-related and philosophical. Why would a sorcerer so powerful need to resort to something as obvious as poison? Why must the author emphasize Li's attractiveness to men? Why does the author repeatedly mention the same-sex aspect of the relationship but only obliquely refer to race ("Both were very different")? While it is rare and refreshing to see a lesbian couple appear in a picture book outside the context of motherhood, the love affair between Li and Beatrice isn't likely to extend to their readers. (Picture book. 4-8)

Gr 4 Up-In this bilingual tale from Spain, a Chinese princess falls in love with a European woman. Princess Li and Beatriz have spent their days kissing in the imperial gardens; there is never an explanation as to how Beatriz came to be accepted at the palace. However, the dreaded day comes when the king demands that his daughter marry a man from the realm; when she refuses, the king orders her lover to be transformed into a bird. Later, the sorcerer, in an attempt to take the throne, poisons the king's drink. Beatriz the bird knocks over the cup and saves the day. In thanks, the red-haired, green-eyed paramour is returned to human form and allowed to marry the princess. According to an interview, Amavisca strove to use this vehicle to encourage tolerance for all races, countries, and sexual orientations. In spite of this, he inexplicably chooses the culturally inaccurate term king instead of emperor , which the Chinese rulers have used consistently since around 221 BCE, and the translator has the princess address her father with the incongruous term Dad . Rendeiro's landscape and architecture are beautifully detailed in gradient shades of red watercolor. But the skill level is inconsistently displayed. Sorcerer Chun Bin is amateurishly rendered, and the interior of the palace has a row of courtyard-facing doors that would have been more at home in India. VERDICT This picture book is geared toward an older audience. An additional purchase. Mary Margaret Mercado, Pima County Public Library, Tucson, AZ