Gr 1-3 According to Tina, her grandfather is different. Abuelito doesn't speak English, his hands are rough and gnarled from cutting sugar cane, and he doesn't drive. And, horrors, he eats with his fingers. Tina's friend's grandfather drives a red Corvette and has a swimming pool in his living room; he makes her ashamed of Abuelito. However, when her mother unexpectedly leaves the two alone one afternoon, Tina's attitude changes. She looks at old photographs of her long dead grandmother. She finds that she and her grandfather share a talent for and love of art. And, the two make tortillas from scratch and eat them with their fingers. By day's end, granddaughter and grandfather have started on a journey of friendship, free of invidious comparisons. Except for one double-page spread in the middle, each full-page painting faces a page of text accompanied by a small illustration. Words and pictures are framed in a lovely design of seemingly old photograph-album pages with deckle edges. An interesting addition to intergenerational collections. Ruth Semrau, formerly at Lovejoy School, Allen, TX Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Tina doesn't like being with her Spanish-speaking grandfather: he "smells like green library soap or sometimes like fried bananas." After Tina and Abuelito spend an active and artistic afternoon together, she changes her tune. The book is well observed, though Tina's quick turnaround is unrealistic. Sun-tinged illustrations deftly convey emotion but are somewhat stiff.