Abuelo

K-Gr 3—Colón's bright mixed-media illustrations are the highlight of Dorros's tale of a boy and his "abuelo gaucho" as they ride across what appears to be the pampas of Argentina. The dynamic interaction between the man and his grandchild is affectionately portrayed. Under the grandfather's gentle tutelage, the torch is passed from one generation to another as the child learns to apply valuable lessons to everyday life—such as standing firm when faced with a bully. Whereas the intention of enriching the story with a sprinkling of Spanish vocabulary is laudable, the placement of the words and the subsequent definitions are jarring in places and distance readers from the story: "We rode into the clouds/with the sky, 'el cielo,'/wrapped around us." Also, the prose fluctuates from poetic to flat description: "At night, we could see forever" and "I talked with Abuelo, and we visited." In the end, the boy moves to the city, leaving his abuelo behind. That's when he truly understands and appreciates his grandfather's gifts of love and wisdom. All in all, this is a beautifullyillustrated, sweet story.—Mary Margaret Mercado, Pima County Public Library