Lolo and Birdie

December 1, 2021
Somewhere out in nature, a bluebird meets a hungry, fussy dinosaur. The much larger orange creature declares, "�Tengo hambre!" and the little bird responds "Oh, you're hungry." An amusing exchange ensues as the bluebird responds in English to the dino's Spanish statements or questions. The avian altruist considerately offers the dinosaur several foods choices, starting with healthy fare--a banana, fish, fresh salad--and then resorting to calorie-packed grub like pizza, cake, and ice cream. Each meal option is met with refusal, much to the bluebird's growing exasperation. Finally, it throws out its wings, declares "I GIVE UP!" and asks the dinosaur what it would prefer to eat. It turns out that the bird itself is the dinosaur's desired repast. Thankfully, with some quick thinking, the beleaguered birdie is able to come up with a solution that saves its life and appeases the ravenous reptile's hunger. Then the two animals become friends. The simple premise of this dialogue story will be relatable to caregivers who deal with picky eaters, while kids will appreciate the minimalist, childlike drawings and droll outcome. The text mostly avoids the simple sentence and phrase repetition used in most bilingual picture books. Instead, young readers are invited to infer word meaning through a cross-lingual question-and-answer format, supported by context cues. The animals' genders are unspecified. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An amusing bilingual repartee that just might stir up an appetite for friendship. (Picture book. 3-5)

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February 28, 2022
“What’s wrong?” a squat bluebird asks a sharp-toothed orange dinosaur near the start of Dominguez’s gently comic bilingual picture book. “¡Tengo hambre!” the dino replies. “Oh, you’re hungry,” interprets the bird, before going on to list food options in English, including banana, fish, salad, bread and butter, ice cream, and pizza. Each time, the picky reptile repeats the suggestion in Spanish before declining (“¿Pescado? No, gracias”), quietly occupying itself in the background. When the increasingly frantic fowl finally tears off its chef hat in frustration, the dino reveals an avian dietary preference. Luckily, the quick-thinking bird hasn’t yet exhausted snack possibilities, leading to a conclusion that sees both characters satisfied. Set against a plain white background, simply styled, expressive art supports the pair’s polyglot exchange, making for a read that subtly grows reader vocabulary across both languages. Ages 2–4.

March 1, 2022
Using an accessible conversational style similar to How Do You Say? / ?Como se dice? (rev. 9/16) and How Are You? / ?Como estas? (rev. 5/18) -- now featuring a solicitous blue bird and a hangry orange dinosaur -- Dominguez tells an entertaining, child-friendly, and mildly suspenseful story about friendship, kindness, picky eating, differing tastes, and the mollifying power of breaking bread together. While the bird offers many choices for the peckish young dinosaur to nosh, nothing sounds tasty: "'Fish? They are my favorite.' '?Pescado? No, gracias.' 'How about lettuce? Or a salad?' '?Lechuga o ensalada? No.'" Though the bird's dialogue is all in English and the dino's is in Spanish (color-coded), the two clearly understand each other -- as will young readers and listeners, who can easily take meaning from context via the simple text and the clear, personality-filled illustrations. Rewardingly, and after a close-call near-ending (a la Higgins's We Don't Eat Our Classmates, rev. 9/18), a just-right treat -- galletas -- leads to satisfaction. Elissa Gershowitz

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2022
Using an accessible conversational style similar to How Do You Say? / ?Como se dice? (rev. 9/16) and How Are You? / ?Como estas? (rev. 5/18) -- now featuring a solicitous blue bird and a hangry orange dinosaur -- Dominguez tells an entertaining, child-friendly, and mildly suspenseful story about friendship, kindness, picky eating, differing tastes, and the mollifying power of breaking bread together. While the bird offers many choices for the peckish young dinosaur to nosh, nothing sounds tasty: "'Fish? They are my favorite.' '?Pescado? No, gracias.' 'How about lettuce? Or a salad?' '?Lechuga o ensalada? No.'" Though the bird's dialogue is all in English and the dino's is in Spanish (color-coded), the two clearly understand each other -- as will young readers and listeners, who can easily take meaning from context via the simple text and the clear, personality-filled illustrations. Rewardingly, and after a close-call near-ending (a la Higgins's We Don't Eat Our Classmates, rev. 9/18), a just-right treat -- galletas -- leads to satisfaction.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)