School Library Journal Starred Review
(Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)
Toddler-PreS An accordion-style board book featuring one of the most well-known Spanish songs for children. In this classic nursery song of the Spanish-speaking world, little chicks go, "!Pio! !pio! !pio!" when they are hungry and when they are cold; mother hen finds food for them and keeps them warm. Snuggled up under her wings, they sleep until the next day. In a clever use of the formatone side is the Spanish version, the other the English adaptationneither language takes precedence over the other. In a nod to its origin, the English adaptation still has the chicks squealing in Spanish. The simple, brightly colored cartoon-style illustrations, boldly outlined in black, stand out against a white background. With every page turn, there are flaps to open and even a wheel that will send mother hen's legs spinning off to find food, making it a fully immersive and interactive reading experience. This sturdy volume comes in a case, all the better to hold those accordion pages with. With so many books translating English songs into Spanish, it is a rare treat to have one with an original Spanish song, especially when it is so engagingly done. VERDICT Little ones and their grown-ups will love singing and reading this book together. A perfect choice for bilingual storytimes. Lucia Acosta, Children's Literature Specialist, NJ
Publishers Weekly
(Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
A classic Spanish-language nursery rhyme, -Los Pollitos Dicen,- gains an English translation in this delightful accordion-style board book. Jaramillo wisely doesn-t force the English version to hew precisely to the Spanish. The hen searches for corn and wheat for her hungry pollitos in the Spanish version (-La gallina busca/ el maíz y el trigo-), but in the English retelling she -goes and gets them/ corn, from the field.- Numerous flaps and a turn-the-wheel feature add to the fun, and Jaramillo-s sweetly cranky chicks and their loving (and slightly weary) mother should draw smiles in both versions of the story. Ages 1-4. (May)