From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-In bouncing prose and bright illustrations, Krebs and Corr take readers on a whirlwind tour. The picture book follows a family as they swim in the ocean, traverse canyons, climb pyramids, and celebrate Independence Day. The rhyming text is coupled with Spanish vocabulary that complements the story line. Enchanting folk-art illustrations give a true taste of the beauty, color, and variety of Mexican culture. A map, fact sheet, time line, and list of translated Spanish phrases are included.
-Melissa Christy Buron, Epps Island Elementary, Houston, TX Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PreS-K. After charting jaunts along the Silk Road, on safari, and to the Galapagos in previous books, Krebs offers a fourth globetrotting picture book, this one about a family's appreciative--if idealized--visit to Mexico. On each spread, artwork inspired by the festive colors and distinctive iconography of Mexican folk crafts pairs with Krebs' singsong verse about a place or experience ("We climb amazing pyramids from ancient Mexico / And wonder how they're standing now / When built so long ago"). The family's perambulations too often focus on stock resort-pamphlet fantasies (dancing to mariachis, feasting with the locals) rather than specific sites, lending the book a generic quality exacerbated by the absence of informational text amplifying why the chosen scenes are considered representative. But the armchair-travel element may help rouse young students' enthusiasm for units on Mexico or Cinco de Mayo celebrations, and kids and adults alike will enjoy tackling the abundant Spanish vocabulary, present on every spread and in a glossary, and browsing the concluding map and appendixes.
Jennifer MattsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
