La Madre Goose

May 30, 2016
Elya reinterprets 18 classic nursery rhymes, incorporating Spanish vocabulary into offerings like “Three Little Gatitos” (who have lost their mitoncitos) and “Little Miss Amarilla,” who “sat in her silla,/ eating her beans and arroz.” Debut illustrator Martinez-Neal contributes ultra-cozy mixed-media scenes featuring multiethnic children and anthropomorphic animals. In one of the most successful reworkings, rabbit spouses nuzzle happily near their brand-new pumpkin home: “Peter, Peter Calabaza,/ got a wife for his new casa./ When she saw the round casita/ she repainted it—bonita!” Ages 5–8. Author’s agent: Victoria Wells Arms, Wells Arms Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Stefanie Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary.

April 15, 2016
Elya's spin on Mother Goose offers a collection of nursery favorites spiced with a Latin American twist.The most successful of these offerings incorporate Spanish words within the familiar cadences of traditional rhymes. "What are las ninas made of? / Azucar and flores / And all los colores. / That's what las ninas are made of!" But most of them bog down in gratingly awkward phrasing resulting from the substitution of two-syllable Spanish words for one-syllable English words--without accommodating meter. Employing "This little cerdo had roasted carne" instead of opting for the more streamlined "This little cerdo had carne" ruins the lyrical integrity of the verse. Other substitutions are unsuccessful on a content front. The transformation of "Sunday's child" into a bullfighter is disappointing, as is the thieving plate holding a bag of loot (fortuna, to rhyme with luna) in "Hey, Diddle, Diddle." Both "Old Mother Hubbard" ("Old Madre Rosario") and "Little Jack Horner" ("Young Juan Ramon") have been nearly completely rewritten but retain the gists of the originals. Martinez-Neal's illustrations (made with acrylics, colored pencils, and graphite) abound with multiethnic children sporting the requisite chubby-cheeked features of the toddler set, and the artist's animals are of the obligatory fuzzy and frolicking kind seen festooning preschool classrooms.Not one of Elya's stellar efforts. Such previous offerings as Little Roja Riding Hood (2014) and No More, Por Favor (2010) are far better examples of her snappy language-integration skills. (Picture book. 3-6)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2016

Toddler-PreS-A playful collection that interweaves Spanish words into classic Mother Goose rhymes in English. With everything from "Maria Had a Little Oveja" to "Twinkle Twinkle Small Estrella," Elya presents the familiar rhymes with a twist, following her usual formula of interlingual rhyming text. The Spanish words are presented in bold and italics, and the sentence construction follows an unnatural form of code-switching that doesn't speak to the authenticity of bilingual and Spanish-speaking readers. The book's forte is Martinez-Neal's soft and delightful illustrations, which capture the sweetness and warmth of the tales. Using a variation of single pages and spreads, the illustrator makes the most of each page to enhance the visual experience of children by adding playful characters, Spanish words, and friendly animals. A glossary is appended, which includes the Spanish words used, their pronunciation, and their meaning in English, with the goal of introducing English speakers to Spanish words that are not traditionally used in interlingual picture books. For those interested in a more successful Latino parallel of Mother Goose nursery rhymes, Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy's Mama Goose: A Latino Nursery Treasury is recommended. VERDICT An optional purchase for library collections.-Sujei Lugo, Boston Public Library, MA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2016
Preschool-G Elya and Martinez-Neal put a new twist on some well-known nursery rhymes in this Mother Goose collection for young readers. By interweaving Spanish words into classic stories, these beloved rhymes take on a more contemporary feel. The glossary at the beginning of the book makes it so English and Spanish readers alike can understand la Madre Goose's verses. Elya even gives old rhymes new, culturally relevant makeovers. For instance, little Jack Horner becomes young Juan Ramon, who sticks his thumb into green guacamole instead of a Christmas pie. Similarly, little Miss Muffet and her tuffet have been swapped for little Miss Amarilla, who sat in her silla, / eating her beans and arroz. Martinez-Neal's softly textured illustrations combine acrylics and colored pencils to beautiful effect. Scenes spill across single- and double-page spreads, sweetly bringing the rhymes to life. Martinez-Neal's talent is perhaps best represented in the diverse faces of the children she draws, whose genuine emotions pair perfectly with the rhymes they accompany. A lovely multicultural addition to the nursery rhyme shelf.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)