Review: The Little Doctor/El doctorcito

Title: The Little Doctor/El doctorcito
Author: Juan J. Guerra
Illustrator: Victoria Castillo
Publisher: Piñata Books
Pages: 32
Review copy: Final copy provided by publisher
Availability: On shelves now

Summary: In this bilingual picture book, a young Salvadoran boy dreams of helping his family and community by becoming a doctor.

Review:  Salvador is a fourth grade boy who goes with his abuela to her doctor visit. She needs him to translate from English to Spanish. He's a boy who is excited about his science class at school and is intrigued about becoming a doctor. The way his abuela is treated at the clinic makes him want to be a doctor even more. The doctor doesn't take much time with her and even tells her to lay off the Mexican food. Salvador explains that they are from El Salvador and they don't even eat Mexican food, but the doctor is unapologetic and unconcerned. The book is based on the author's own experience as a child. I love how the book shows the value of bilingualism and having health care that truly shows care.

The illustrations are energetic, colorful, and fun. This is a book that would definitely be useful when learning about careers.

Recommendation: Purchase this if you want more books about grandmothers, careers, or creating positive attitudes around bilingualism.

Review: The Missing Chancleta and Other Top-Secret Cases

Title: The Missing Chancleta and Other Top-Secret Cases/La chancleta perdida y otros casos secretos
Author: Alidis Vicente
Publisher: Piñata Books
Pages: 64
Availability: On shelves now
Review Copy: Final copy via publisher

Summary: Flaca’s chancleta, or flip flop, has gone missing! She prepares to investigate the theft: “Pencil and notepad: in hand. Straw hat for disguise: on. Magnifying glass: Check.” She interviews each of her family members, all of whom are suspects. Oddly, their stories check out, so Flaca will have to dig deeper to find the culprit.

Normally, Detective Flaca a pale, scrawny second grader doesn’t allow civilians to read her confidential case files. But young readers willing to sign the confidentiality agreement that appears before the three top-secret cases included in this bilingual collection are in luck!

In “The Case of the Missing China,” Flaca discovers small pieces of china or oranges for those who grew up in Puerto Rico in a fruit cup included in her lunch. She’s allergic to oranges, so she immediately suspects someone is trying to harm her. But who could it be? And in “The Case of the Lost Salsa,” Flaca is dismayed to learn she will have to dance salsa at her older sister’s quinceanera. Attending the birthday party is bad enough, but performing in front of everyone is unimaginable! When Flaca starts dance lessons, she realizes her “salsa” is missing. She uses her finely tuned detective skills to locate her lost dancing abilities, ultimately discovering that one’s inner “salsa” can’t be found with pencil and paper.

Narrated by Detective Flaca in hard-boiled detective style, this bilingual collection of inter-related short stories for intermediate readers will appeal to seasoned and reluctant readers alike. And Flaca will surely inspire a host of amateur private investigators!

My Review: Detective Flaca tells about her investigative exploits in chatty case files and is kindly allowing readers to view them. Of course, with her detective skills, she is able to find crimes where nobody else might notice. The stories are quick and fun so will be great for students just entering the chapter book world.

Detective Flaca's voice is amusing. She takes herself and her detective work very seriously. When she is given a fruit cup that includes oranges that she is allergic to, she calls it an assassination attempt. This is no joke so Flaca is following every lead, taking notes, and using all the tools of the trade even if she has to improvise. For instance, she uses her grandfather's glasses in place of a magnifying glass. I had to admire both her creativity and her curiosity. She's an excellent example of someone who wonders all of the time.

A special feature is that this is a bilingual flip book. If readers start on one side, the text is in Spanish. If they flip it over, the text is in English with a few key words in Spanish. There are plenty of context clues, so even English only readers will be able to understand the Spanish vocabulary.

I would recommend this book for students who enjoy mysteries or like reading about characters that question their surroundings and live in a state of wonder. It's a great early chapter book for any collection.

Review: Let's Salsa/Bailemos Salsa

Title: Let's Salsa/Bailemos Salsa
Author: Lupe Ruiz-Flores
Illustrator: Robert Casilla
Publisher: Arte Publico Press
Pages: 32
Review Copy: Supplied by Publisher
Availability: On Shelves Now

Summary: Estela can’t help but giggle when she sees her neighbors, Doña Rosa and Doña Maria, shaking their hips while dancing and sweating at an exercise class at the community recreation center. A few days later, when her mother complains about gaining weight, Estella encourages her to join the class.

Every day after school, Estela enjoys watching the women dance to the rhythmic music. And she’s especially thrilled when the instructor invites her to join them in dancing salsa. “Salsa? That’s what it’s called? I thought salsa was to eat with chips!”

But one day, kids are banned from the class, and Estella is forced to go to a boring crafts class instead. She’d much rather be dancing! So when Estella learns that women had to fight to gain the right to vote, she decides she’ll petition for kids’ rights to enjoy salsa dance classes at the community center!

In this bilingual picture book for children ages 5-9, a young girl learns that dancing is good for fun and fitness, and that even kids can change the way things are done. -- Cover image and summary via Arte Publico Press website

Review: The title of this book caught my attention since I attend dance classes every week and part of that time we are salsa dancing. In the story, Estela hears the music and sees how much fun the dancers are having and she convinces her mother to get involved. Of course Estela wants to try it too.

What I really liked about the book is that when Estela is faced with a challenge, she uses what she has learned from school about activism and goes after what she wants. Several grades in our school focus on how people can make a difference. Teachers have asked me many times for books about young people making a difference in the world so this will be another I can hand them.

Strangely enough, just last Wednesday at my adult dance class, one of my fourth grade students from school was hanging out at the door watching our class. The instructor invited her in and she had a blast. I know that it is part of the adult programming so I am curious to see if we will end up with a similar situation as that in the book if she continues to dance with us. This is a very realistic type of issue.

I look forward to sharing this book with teachers and students. It's definitely a book that has a distinct message about healthy habits and making a difference, but it is also fun. I plan to share salsa music and teach some steps to my students when I read this one aloud and I am sure we will have a fantastic time.