Siesta (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards))
PreSchool-Grade 1&ndash;A sister and brother and a stuffed bear embark on an adventure. An empty blue backpack is packed with an interesting array of items: a red jacket, green flute, yellow book, black flashlight, white clock, and multicolored blanket. Then it's off to the backyard where the clothesline and blanket make the perfect tent, the flute provides a bedtime serenade for the jacket-wrapped teddy, and soon, all are sleeping. This charmingly simple story is told in short sentences, Spanish first, followed by the English translation. The words for colors are written in their appropriate hues and reinforced by the gorgeous pastel, watercolor, and pencil illustrations. Soft edges, pure glowing colors, and rounded forms create a sense of warmth and reassurance. LikeFiesta(HarperCollins, 1996), this book has appeal far beyond its obvious teaching function.Copyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.