This book calls my attention because of the colors and the yellow lettering. The publishing company is Megan Tingley Books. The genres are Family-Fiction and Individuality-Fiction. The author is Todd Parr who “is the author of the New York best selling The I Love You Book” (32). The dedication said: To my family who sometimes did not understand me, but encouraged me to go after everything I wanted even we did not agree. As I know realize-this takes a lot of love to do.”(32) This dedication is one of my favorites.

The purpose of this book is showing kids that even if families are different they are still a family. This book is very appropriate ESL students because of the simplicity of the vocabulary. The illustrations are very colorful like a symbolism of the different races and physical traits in a family.I think that this book has a strong message about love, family and uniqueness.

Laura y la caja de sorpresas by Nelbaliz Diaz del Valle

The title of this book awakes the curiosity of the young reader because they will think in the possibilities of things hidden in the box. The genre is children’s fiction. The author is Nelbaliz Diaz del Valle and the illustrator is Julia Laborde Delgado. The publishing company is la editorial, Universidad de Puerto Rico. The age level is preschooler. The book is hard cover bilingual, in the front cover is the Spanish version of the title, in the back one, the English version. The letters are black and there is only one sentence per page. The cover illustration involves all the sense of the story, there is not symbolism, is explicit.

The purpose of this book was is teach kids the geometrical shapes; it includes a complete teacher’s guide. The book is bilingual which is perfect for ESL students. The message is very easy geometrical shapes, how simple experiences can be connected with the memory, and children’s love for their family. This book is appropriate for children because the message is not difficult. Students can identified with Laura the main character because of her connection with her grandmother, a very common aspect of our culture. This book is not one of my favorites but is acceptable.

This bilingual book is a charming little story. The story follows the coqui frogs which are native to Puerto Rico and is an interpretation of how the coqui frogs came to live all over the island (in the city and in the country). In this book the story goes that all of the parrots in the rainforest thought that the coquis were other birds and since they were singing during the night the parrots got very annoyed. The parrots then ran all of the coquis out of the rainforest because they were being too loud. The coquis made it all the way to the city and loved it because it was far away from the parrots but they still missed their home. Back in the rainforest the parrots missed the birds who made the coqui sound because they thought it was way to quiet. Finally the parrots went all the way to the city to find the coqui (discovering they were actually frogs) and ask them to come back to the rainforest. Hence why the coqui is now found everywhere from the forest to the city. This interpretation would be good for small children who would like a storybook reason for why the coquis are everyone on the island.

I really like the illustrations in this story. The illustrator Raymond Betacoop did a very good job. They are very colorful and playful and the graphics are crayon textured which I think would relate well with the children. Also the book is themed with greens, browns, and blues, and the texture of the crayon gives the illustrations a very soft look. The book is very welcoming.

The text is large and easy to read, however there is a lot of text. I would not classify this book as picture book because the text takes up a full page along with the pictures taking up another full page (rather than small amount of texts on pages full of pictures). While it’s a very cute story I feel that for younger learners all the text could be intimidating. However the story is very charming and gives lots of very culturally specific Puerto Rican references such as mentioning Vijigantes, el pilon, and mofongo, which makes me think that this book could be used outside of Puerto Rico while teaching a history/biology lesson for students. They could teach about the wild life in Puerto Rico while also adding little bits of Puerto Rican culture into the mix. The book is translated by Jacqueline Quinones a native Spanish speaker. The translation is done very clearly and coherently.

2 things I really like about this book is that on the opening page the author(s) have given a paragraph about the history of the coqui as to explain to readers (or teachers of the book) special information about the unique frog that is only able to survive in Puerto Rico. Also this paragraph explains that tourists usually confuse the frog’s song with that of a bird, and are not corrected if they don’t ask because the frogs are so small they cannot see. This happens a lot here and is a great clarification for English readers from the states. Second I really like that the back of the book adds a glossary so that readers who are not Puerto Rican understand some of the cultural words (whether they are reading the English or Spanish version) that are given throughout the book. I would definitely use this book in my classroom whether I was teaching it in English or Spanish.

I am absolutely in love with this book. This book is about friendship, growing old, and giving. Three things that readers of all ages should learn about. The book starts out with a boy and a tree that are the best of friends, but as the boy grows older he visits the tree less and less. Each time the boy comes back he takes something from the tree until all that is left of the tree is a stump. The stump thinks he has nothing to offer the boy (now an old man) but the man says all he needs is something to sit on and rest and which the stump is well equipped to offer.

This book is so simple but also so special. It’s the perfect picture book with only one line of text on each page and simple child-like line drawings that children can really relate to. There is really nothing to criticize about this book in my opinion. The front cover is green and the pictures on the inside are simply white and black which adds a great contrast.

I think that the most important thing about this book is the fact that the story is relatable no matter how old the reader is. I’m 23 and I enjoyed every minute of it. I think that’s what all Shell Silverstein’s book are like though. This review is really short because in short, all that I have to say about this book is that it is great and relatable and I would use it in any class that I was teaching!

Edwin Fontanez

This book is a great connection made between readers and real life and would be a great resource for middle school students. Students can not only enjoy reading this book, they can relate to it, and learn from it. Most children get their first pet around the age of 11 or 12, therefore I think this book is more appropriate for students of this age. However this book should not just be restricted to this age. Adults and adolescents alike can learn from the stories and the educational pet-loving information that this book provides.

The pictures in this book gives students a direct connection to the author. He uses pictures of himself with his adoptive pets as well as writes the advice for readers that fill the book. It’s written very clearly and would be understandable and valuable reading for middle school students. The fact that the author doesn’t write the entire book in paragraph form, by using bullets and numbered lists, makes the book even easier and maybe a little less intimidating for the readers. Sometimes books with few pictures can be quite a lot for students. By breaking up the paragraphs with these lists give students a break from continuously reading paragraph after paragraph.

Most of the illustrations in this book are actual photographs of the author with his pets. This adds to the realism of the book and also makes its connection to the real world very evident to the reader. I really like this book. It gives tips for taking care of animals as well as teaches against animal abuse by explaining what it is and why it is wrong. These are important for children and adults to learn especially in the city where the amount of stray animals are so consolidated and congested. It teaches if one is going to take in then they have the responsibility to the animal and by adopting them they are making a promise to the animal that they are adopting. This is such an important lesson for everyone from childhood to adulthood to learn I think that this book could be used as a lesson teaching material for students of all ages even though the reading level would be most appropriate for middle school students. The front cover and the margins in the beginning of the book are very attractive and eye catching for the audience. They also have a very personal dedication and foreword written by the author, which enhances the realism of the book.

I am going to keep this book for a long time and I am going to definitely going to use it in my classroom in the future. It is a great resource and also a wonderful prompt for starting conversation in the classroom.

This book has a good message. It’s a very simple picture book. It is bilingual and each page holds one line of text above very large pictures (actually 2 lines because on the bottom it is translated into Spanish). The book would be good for young readers because the sentences are short and sweet and it addresses a sort of issue that could be a curiosity for children: why people have different types of hair. Honestly this book didn’t really affect me a great deal. It’s a good story and it’s very simple but I doubt I would use it in the classroom. Maybe it was the illustrations in the book, the color scheme is very dark with reds and purples which I don’t feel are very welcoming for any readers, as well as young readers. Also the story just sort of ends, it talks about all these different types of hair and then it talks about the mother’s hair that smells like bread. I understand the meaning in the short story but I just feel like it could have been more inviting and had something more to pull the reader in. I felt a very dull feeling reading the book, and this is why I wouldn’t use it in the classroom, basically because I don’t think I could get excited about teaching it. However, I would not disagree with other teachers who decide to use it.

There’s a Coqui in My Shoe by Marisa De Jesus is a wonderful book. It’s a story that is set in two very popular places in Puerto Rico, Old San Juan and El Yunque Rain Forest. You can order this book in either English or Spanish. I believe that that this book would be an excellent asset to the classroom. Not only is this story charming, the illustrations are captivating and the book is very educational. It is not only education in the fact that it is written very clearly but it also gives a very interesting biology lesson on the coqui frogs. I learned more about them than I had ever heard before. Tanja Bauerle the artist did an exceptional job with the artwork in the book. It is a picture book for the sheer reason that there is really very little blank space on the pages with the exception with the space around the text on the pages. I can imagine being a child and looking at these pictures and how captivated I would be by all the beauty.

The story is about the song of the coqui and how a small boy befriends a coqui named Carlito that is in his room and asks for help to find his way back to his family in El Yunque. Along the way Carlito teaches Armando (the boy) about the song of the coqui, where they live, and different species of coquis. This book could be used as an English language lesson but also a biology or science lesson taught in English. This book would be great as a resource in Puerto Rico because the students would be able to relate to it but it would also be great to use in any school when teaching about different species of frogs. Students could relate to it well in Puerto Rico but it could still be a relevant choice for other locations. I think it would be more appropriate for those students in Elementary school, however I think that any student of any age could benefit in some way. However if I was going to give it an age margin I would say any elementary school age. It’s such a beautiful book, I really think that I would use it in any classroom as well as outside the classroom.

By Michael Rosen

The title of the book is intriguing; at the beginning I thought that this was a story about family, because when I read the word “house” I thought in the word “home” and then in family. But for my surprise the house mentioned, is a box house made by kids. The genres are selfishness-fiction, prejudices- fiction, sharing- fiction. The author is Michael Rosen. Michael Wayne Rosen was born in 1946 in Harrow, London, from a Jewish family. He was member of the Young Communist League. Rosen was appointed as the fifth Children’s Laureate in June 2007. In the last page of the book he wrote: “Our attitudes about who is okay and who’s not get formed when we are very young. I’ve watched how some children carve out a space for themselves using that language of discrimination. This book is a way of looking at that”. (32) The illustrator of the book is Bob Graham who was born in 1942 in Australia. He was awarded and honored several times. In the book he said: “I used to live near several bleak public- housing buildings that surrounded a small, brightly colored playground. The playground was a suggestion of hope and, I thought the perfect setting for this story.”(32)

The publishing company is Candlewick Press. The age level is from three to six years old. In the front cover of the book we can see the image of George, the main character of the story and all the kids inside the broken box house. The book and the letters in the front cover are blue. In the back cover we can see the same children fixing the house and some critics of different magazines. The letters inside the book are in black and only it has a few sentences per page.

I think that this book has a very strong message about friendship and how avoid prejudices. People can think that this book is for children but this message goes to many grownups. This book speaks about discrimination and egoism, is for this that many students can identify with this history because many kids have been victims of these situations. For the simplicity of the words, this book is appropriate for ESL students, This story involves one important social aspect, the discrimination, which makes the story more full of meaning.

I found the illustrations in this book very interesting; the setting is an urban housing project (like apartments). The pictures are in black and white, except for the relevant part in the picture, for example, if the passage is talking about the kids and the box house, only the kids and the book are in color, the rest is black and white (the cars, the buildings) I like this because it helps the kids to distinguish what is happening through the pictures.

The issue in this story is very frequent, kids are very cruel sometimes and discrimination is present even in the children environment. I love this book and his content.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Rosen#Family_and_early_years

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Rosen#Awards_and_honours

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Graham_(author_/_illustrator)

Edwin Fontánez

The title of this book brings up colors in my mind. When I heard the word Vejigante, I think in colors. “The name Vejigante comes from the Spanish word for bladder, vejiga” . The genre is children- Puerto Rico. The author Edwin Fontanez has a love for his native land and a desire to protect his cultural heritage have motivated him to create a series of books and videos based in Puerto Rican and other Latin-American cultures. He actually lives and works In Washington D. C.” The publishing company is Exit Studio. I think that this book is intended for older kids because it contains too much information for a First grader, and is evident that some words are too complex for younger children.

In the front cover there is a beautiful representation of a vejigante in bright colors with the title and the name of the author in yellow letters. In the back cover you can see the continuation of the same drawing of the vejigante. The pictures in the book are for the students to color, they are rich in details. But the message in each page is too long and complex for kids.

The message in this book is very important because help the readers to connect with their culture and traditions. All the content in the book is true because is based in true facts about Puerto Rican history. This book is good for ESL because is bilingual, and the illustration help to the understanding of the book. I enjoyed this book a lot and I recommended for young adults and everyone!

[1] Fontanez, Edwin. The Vejigante and the Folk Festivals of Puerto Rico.
Exit Sudio. 1996

[1] Fontanez, Edwin. The Vejigante and the Folk Festivals of Puerto Rico.
Exit Sudio. 1996

 By: Edwin Fontánez

Taíno is the title of this beautiful book, a simple word that means a lot. According to Edwin Fontánez, the writer of this book, Taíno means “good and noble people” (2). The genre is fiction- Puerto Rico. The author of this book, who is also the illustrator, is Edwin Fontánez, who is an artist living and working in Washington, D. C. has dedicated his artistic career to sharing his culture and creativity with the community. Holding degrees from the school of Plastic Arts of the Puerto Rico Institute of Culture and Pratt Institute School of Design, he creates artistic and cultural activities for children and adults alike. Fontánez is also the president and founder of Exit Studio, a producer and publisher of multicultural books and videos for children. This is intended for Kindergarten or First Grade.

This book has beautiful illustrations for the kids to color. In the front cover we can see Guanin the main character of this story surrounded by wildflowers and leaves. In the front cover we can see Tahite and more flowers and green. The book is mostly a coloring and activities book. Only in a few pages there is sentence describing the picture who talks about the Tainos. In the first page the author wrote that this book was written specially for kids.

In the first page Fontanez said that the purpose of this book is give children an idea of how Tainos used to live and work. In the section Notes for Teachers and Parents from the book the author express: “Taino has been written and the outcome cannot be undone but with every word and thought we dedicate to the Taino people, we restore their dignity and their legacy. Helping our children reexamine history will provide new grounds for them to raise critical questions about the direction for their future” (2). These words touch me because it is true we have to remember who we are and from where we come, it is great having our history documented, in this way we can study our ancestors and we learn to appreciate it. Edwin Fontanez wrote: “I created Taino because it is kind of story I never heard as a child and I want to share this experience. I never would have suspected when I started my research that this artistic effort would evolve into a passionate statement of my sense of pride and loss surrounding the Tainos”. I agree with this statement, we cannot let the Taino legacy conclude.

This book is bilingual which made it good for ESL students; it is a way for teaching their culture and heritage. The illustrations in the book are rich in details, each one tells a story for itself. Watching the pictures you can learn about the work and life of the Tainos.

[1] Fontánez, Edwin. Taíno. Exit Sudio. 1996.