Problemas con un juguete/Toy Trouble: A Spanish Bilingual Book

K-Gr 2—"Frenemies" Martha and Skits fight over a flying squirrel chew toy that T.D. has just given them. An exasperated Helen lays down the law and makes them watch a video about sharing. Since neither dog wants to cede possession of the toy, the program's message is ignored. Many children will secretly empathize with the dogs' reluctance to take turns. While the dogs eventually agree to a novel solution (a new game called "steal the squirrel"), bossy Helen's sudden desire to join the game is too abrupt. The colorful illustrations based on the popular television show contribute to this bilingual reader's high recognition factor. These cartoon images also reinforce the text, which is framed by a generous amount of white space. In addition to each language being differentiated by color—English in black and Spanish in blue—the placement of both texts on the same page facilitates language enrichment and learning. Even the speech bubbles are bilingual, making for a positive, integrated experience for adult and child readers of each language. Two short vocabulary exercises are included at the back of the book. Unfortunately, there is no phonetic pronunciation guide.