Pastel para enemigos

Gr 1-3-For a young boy, it's going to be the perfect summer: his father has helped him build a tree house, his sister is away at camp for three whole weeks, and he is part of the best baseball team around. The summer can't get any better, until it gets worse. Joaquín Rojas moves into the neighborhood and becomes the protagonist's number one enemy. When he has a trampoline party at his house, Joaquín doesn't invite the protagonist, but he does invite his best friend, Esteban. The boy writes down Joaquín's name on his enemy list in his tree house and confides his feelings to his father, who suggests they bake Joaquín a cake for enemies. The boy can't wait! Will it taste bad? Will it smell bad? His father tells him, that for the cake to work, he must spend the day with Joaquín so that he doesn't grow suspicious. His father begins to bake the cake as the boy invites Joaquín to play, but then something starts to happen: Joaquín starts to become his friend. Filled with fun illustrations that match perfectly with the witty text and show characters with large smiles that leap from the page, this is sure to be an entertaining-and important-read for children. VERDICT This fine translation of an English title, originally published in 2000, is a perfect addition to children's collections, and especially necessary to show young readers the importance of extending friendship to others. Highly recommended.-Selenia Paz, Harris County Public Library, Houston, TX © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Enemy Pie (2000) extends its message to readers of Spanish.How to get rid of an enemy: First, have your parent bake a pie filled with secret, enemy-destroying ingredients; second, spend the entire day with your enemy; third, be sneakypretend to be nice to your enemy; fourth, serve your enemy an enormous piece of pie with a scoop of ice cream and wait for their hair to fall out. Public enemy No. 1, Jeremy Ross, has returned after nearly two decadesspeaking Spanish. Even with a new name, he's still trouble. Joaqun Rojas laughs at the narrator while playing baseball and doesn't invite him to his trampoline party. And adding insult to injury, he cozies up to the beleaguered hero's best friend, Esteban. Joaqun needs to go. King's illustrations, populated with oversized, bobbleheaded kids (all pale-skinned), remain fresh while neatly complementing the dry-witted text. From the individually mortared bricks in the walkway to the exploded water-balloon carcasses on the street and sidewalk, the detailed scenes chronicle a not-so-ordinary summer's day in a middle-class neighborhood. Lombana's translation preserves the integrity of the original text and flows effortlessly. It's disappointing that the activity-rich website suggested on the jacket flap is not similarly bilingual. Munson's now-classic tale of sandlot rivalry morphing into friendship is as effective in Spanish as it is in English. (Picture book. 5-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.