ALA Booklist (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

When the tinkly bell sounds in the barrio, children race to the paleta wagon for the cool sweet Popsicle-like treat. Posing the title question, the poet suggests playful, far-fetched, thoughtful, and practical ideas, concluding "the very best thing to do with a paleta is to lick it, and slurp it, and sip it and munch it and gobble it all down." Acrylic illustrations portray stylized doll-like human figures in a barrio that simmers in hot shades of orange, red, and yellow. In contrast, the cool paleta colors seem especially enticing. An appealing introduction to a yummy aspect of Latino culture. Pair this with the author's earlier What Can You Do with a Rebozo? (2008) or with Yuyi Morales' Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book (2003).

Horn Book (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

A Mexican American girl waxes rhapsodic over the paletas (ice pops) that arrive in her barrio every summer. What seems like a narrow subject becomes larger with each page turn: the book is ultimately a portrait of a tight-knit community celebrating one of its traditions. The acrylics are rendered in warm, fruity colors. The bilingual edition nicely incorporates Spanish text on the pages.

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

In any Latino barrio , the highlight of a summer afternoon filled with the sweet and savory smells of flowers and crispy tacos is the arrival of the paleta vendor with his deliciously cool fruit popsicles. Made in a variety of flavors and colors, the paleta can be the inspiration for fun and creativity with old and new friends. Purple tongues, blue mustaches, a palette of swirly, drippy art—all are second to the real enjoyment of a paleta : "to.../ lick it and slurp it / and sip it and munch it / and gobble it all down." Tafolla's English text sprinkles easily recognizable Spanish words throughout, creating a parallel to the Anglo neighborhood ice-cream truck in a very Latin setting. Morales's ethnically detailed acrylic paintings in earthen tones against primary colors help to identify the key Spanish words and augment the circular story pattern, in which the introductory verses repeat in the final pages. A simultaneous dual-language edition presents a parallel Spanish translation that accompanies the English text (ISBN: 978-1-58246-289-9). (Picture book. 3-6)

School Library Journal (Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

PreS-Gr 2 A paleta is a traditional Mexican frozen treat on a stick sold by busy, wagon-pushing vendors. Children can paint their tongues purple and green with one, give themselves big, blue mustaches, cool off on a hot day, and more. The story takes readers on a tour of a vibrant Latino neighborhood where sweet accordion music plays, velvet roses bloom, delicious smells of buttery tortillas and juicy fruit float from windows, and children gather to buy paletas on a hot day. The lyrical prose is equally beautiful in both languages. Morales uses broad, curvy brushstrokes of contrasting bright and fruity colors to capture the look of Mexican folk art. The characters faces are round with slightly slanted eyes and rendered in golden shades of burnt sienna. Along with the authors What Can You Do with a Rebozo? (Tricycle, 2007), this joyful celebration of barrio life is a must-have for childrens collections. Rebecca Hickman, Sherman Library at NSU, Fort Lauderdale, FL