Quinito, Day and Night/Quinito, dia y noche [Hardcover]

Ina Cumpiano (Author), Jose Ramirez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2008 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

From dawn till dusk, Quinito’s life is full of opposites. In the morning, he’s up and running — fast or slowly, depending on the day. If it’s sunny, he’s off to the park to swing high and low. If it’s a rainy, stay-at-home day, Quinito’s quiet at naptime and noisy at playtime. So much to do before the sun sets! This playful story builds awareness in young readers that everywhere they look, opposites abound. Told in both English and Spanish, Quinito, Day and Night is a delight for readers young or old, tall or short, messy or neat.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—In Quinito's Neighborhood (Children's Book Press, 2005), an appealing youngster took readers on a tour of his community. Now he returns to introduce children to opposites as he experiences them with his family. Quinito is the middle child in a family full of extremes: his older brother runs "fast/rápido," whereas his baby sister runs "slowly/despacio"; his Papi is "neat/ordenado," but his brother is "very messy/muy desordenado." Quinito admits that he is a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but mostly, "I'm just me, Quinito/yo soy yo. Soy Quinito." Ramírez's stunning illustrations are characterized by the use of thick, splotchy paint on textured canvas, expressionistic lines, and vividly colored figures outlined in black. Numerous action words make this book a great read-aloud for children learning opposites or for those studying familiar opposite words in a second language. Simple vocabulary and clear and consistent text placement also render this title appropriate for newly independent readers. A bilingual glossary of opposite words is appended to ensure that nothing gets lost in the translation.—Madeline Walton-Hadlock, San Jose Public Library, CA
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From Booklist

The author-illustrator team that created Quinito’s Neighborhood (2005) now focuses on family fun in a book about opposites, which is also a celebration of differences. English and Spanish appear on each double-page spread, accompanied by  large, bright acrylic illustrations, with shapes thickly outlined in black, that picture Quinito as the middle kid in his family. He and his brother and little sister are young; Grandma and Grandpa are old. Papi is neat; Quinito’s little brother, who leaves his toys everywhere, is messy. When it’s rainy, Quinito is stuck inside and sad; when it’s sunny, he happily cycles outdoors. The appended bilingual glossary of opposites will inspire them to return to the exuberant scenarios in the pictures. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Hazel Rochman

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Children's Book Press; Bilingual edition (July 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892392266
• ISBN-13: 978-0892392261
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 10.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,089,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great tool for spanish learning, December 25, 2010

By 

Angela R. Deshano (Cincinnati, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quinito, Day and Night/Quinito, dia y noche (Hardcover)

I've been reading books in spanish to my 2yr old son since birth and this is one of my favorites. The spanish is used in a way that makes it sticks in your head (like a good song) and I find myself quoting the spanish parts of the book in normal conversation with my son. I'm trying (slowly) to make us a bilingual family, and many bilingual books can be confusing or complicated to read, but this is very fun, and i feel like my son learns from it, and I know I do. I'll definitely plan to buy all the Quinito books.

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a charming little story from a young boy's point of view about how he sees his own place in the world!, December 30, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quinito, Day and Night/Quinito, dia y noche (Hardcover)

Quinito is sporting an orange shirt with a baseball on it. He's giving himself a confident thumbs up, wishing us all a good morning. His baby sister Clara wakes up earlier than he does and stands in her crib while his older brother Juan is fast asleep under the covers at seven in the morning. Quinito figures he wakes "up at just the right time." His Mami is short, his Papi is tall and he's "just the right size." Some people like his grandparents are old while he and his siblings are young. One thing they all seem to like to do is nestle on the coach and read a story called "Nuevo Sol."

Quinito's Papi keeps the house neat and even irons clothing, but his brother likes to make messes. Sometimes Quinito is messy and sometimes he's neat . . . "It depends on the day." There are lots of opposites in a boy's life. Sadness, happiness, sun and rain. Sometimes a boy can run fast and other times he is slow. "Juan climbs up, up, up./ Clara slides down, down, down./ I swing high./ I swing low./ I'm the king of the swings!/ One thing that is hard is being quiet when a little sister is sleeping, but it is great fun when children can be LOUD! Muy RUIDOSOS!

This is a charming little story from a young boy's point of view about how he sees his own place in the world. I did enjoy the confidence Quinito exhibited and his bright outlook on life. The artwork has deep, bold appealing colors. The text is printed in both English and Spanish. Opposite words are in bold print and easy to spot in both languages. In the back of the book is a bilingual glossary of opposites/un glosario bilingüe de opuestos. This would be a nice book to read and discuss in the homeschool or classroom setting!