Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Three-time Pura Belpré honoree Delacre combines two things wildlife science and the alphabet something hardly uncommon yet executed here with uncommon skill. Though the book is bilingual, its slight emphasis upon Spanish over English is not only appropriate; it should work to spark the curiosity of kids fluent only in the latter. Delacre frames the book as a Washington, D.C., zoologist's search for the elusive olinguito in an Ecuadorian cloud forest. Each two-page spread stresses one letter on the left page and the subsequent letter on the right. The two languages are close enough that usually the promoted letter is prominent in both (see brilla un bosque bordado versus blooms a brilliant forest). When it doesn't, though, it provides an excellent excuse for contrast (Nubes, niebla, y neblina versus Clouds, fog, and mist). Four-fifths of each page is dominated by Delacre's bright, often pastel depictions of animals positioned so close to the reader it's as if they are right behind safety glass. Keep an eye out for that foxy olinguito and the zoologist, too, who come face-to-face shortly before Delacre closes with fabulous back matter, including the story behind the creature's 2006 discovery and a lovely illustrated glossary to every plant and animal. Everything here is in perfect harmony.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a bilingual, wildlife-themed alphabet book, readers explore the Ecuadoran Andes, joining a visiting zoologist on the hunt for a "dozing olinguito" (an extensive afterword explains that the olinguito, similar to a raccoon, was only first identified in 2003). Most of the alphabetical alliteration appears in the Spanish phrases ("Nubes, niebla y neblina anidan el noble bosque nublado" translates as "Clouds, fog, and mist nestle in the noble cloud forest"), placing a firm emphasis on that language throughout. Delacre's (How Far Do You Love Me?) fluid mixed-media collages capture the jungle environment in eye-catching splashes of patterns and color, and the zoologist can be seen in the distance of the images, providing a seek-and-find element. A rich and layered trip to the Andean cloud forest that revels in the miracles of biodiversity. Ages 6-10. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-Delacre uses a creative A-Z format to write a description in verse of a cloud forest, or a moist ecosystem found in tropical areas, in the Andes. The author mentions different animals or plants located here; each page features foliage or creatures related to a different letter of the alphabet. The text is lyrical, and the mixed-media illustrations are vibrant and striking. This book would make a wonderful resource for students who are learning about forest environments or different animal species. Further information about the cloud forest, with an animal and foliage glossary, is appended. VERDICT A great addition to school and public libraries.-Melissa Martinez, Pantoja Charter School, PA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Along with many other animals and plants of the Ecuadorian cloud forest, Delacre introduces the olinguito, a raccoon relative discovered in 2013. Alliteration in the parallel Spanish and English texts makes for an engaging (if occasionally tongue-twisting) read: "...brilla un bosque bordado de bromelias... / ...blooms a brilliant forest embroidered with bromeliads..." Delacre's prose and mixed-media illustrations convey this dreamy, quiet world. Bib., glos. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
By means of the alphabet, this bilingual book introduces the cloud forest habitat of the olinguito, a recently discovered mammalian species from the Ecuadorean Andes. Via text that reads like poetry, readers join a zoologist in the cloud forest of the Ecuadorean Andes as he searches for the elusive olinguito. Using the alphabet as a device, Delacre presents the habitat of the olinguito. By focusing on the habitat rather than the animal the author reinforces the important concept of interconnectedness. In a nice departure from the usual bilingual book produced in the States, Spanish is presented first, and the alphabet includes the "." In another welcome departure, both languages have been allowed to breathe and sound fluent. The Spanish text, often alliterative, hews closer to the corresponding alphabet letter than the English does; if it doesn't work for the English text the author has allowed it to be so. For example, "Pp: Pica, pica, picaflor del paraso de las palmas de cera / A hummingbird sips nectar in this paradise of wax palms." The beautifully detailed mixed-media artwork urges readers to look closely, and the author further encourages exploration by listing some of the things readers can go back and search for in the illustrations. The book is rounded out with bilingual backmatter. Poetic and informative, a breath of fresh air in the too-often-contrived world of bilingual books. (author notes, glossaries, author's sources) (Bilingual informational picture book. 5-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
