School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-All throughout the rainforest, adult and baby animals and birds are having similar conversations. The parents try to encourage their children to eat fruit or blossoms and the youngsters refuse-they just can't stand one more mouthful of their usual fare. After a lot of complaining, the families meet to join forces and offer the rainforest babies fruit "ensalada." And what could be better than sharing it? "Nada!" The rhyming text is in English with Spanish words sprinkled in, a hallmark of Elya's work. Each stanza introduces the animal, bird, or insect. However, sometimes the rhyming structure makes it unclear who is speaking. Elya includes a helpful glossary of Spanish vocabulary at the front of the book, including pronunciation. The illustrations are winning, using pastel colors that emphasize the depth and vibrancy of the rainforest. The story seems to go on a bit too long before the final resolution, but it would appeal in a bilingual storytime or in a unit on rainforest animals.-Susan E. Murray, Glendale Public Library, AZ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Eight young rainforest creatures rebel against their single-item diets in this linguistically and graphically cheerful story that picky eaters of the human variety should well appreciate. Elya's (Adios, Tricycle) spry verse balances English and boldface Spanish words, placing the latter in easily deciphered context (an illustrated glossary/pronunciation guide is also included). The creatures' parents have no luck persuading their offspring to eat their customary fare. A toucan complains that pomegranates have too many seeds, an iguana insists that mangos are too sweet, and a quetzal proclaims avocados "too squishy and squashy and green." In gauzy, acrylic paintings ablaze with tropical hues, Walker (Your Daddy Was Just Like You) humorously conveys the contrasting moods of cajoling parents and their unyielding young. The rhyme scheme is occasionally simplistic or clunky, though there's a pleasing irreverence in many couplets ("Three times each dia, it's always the same./ Please, not that flower, Papa. It's so lame!"). Creative parental problem solving brings the finicky eaters together for a merry feast, where they discover the rewards of sharing and experimenting. Ages 3-5. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved