Rubia and the Three Osos - Hardcover

SUSAN MIDDLETON ELYA (www.susanelya.com) spent years teaching Goldilocks and the Three Bears to her beginning Spanish students, since opposites likefrio and caliente helped make it easy to learn basic vocabulary. Inspired by her students, she came up with a playful retelling of the story, complete with a happynueva ending. Susan has written numerous books for children. In her spare time, she runs an antique shop called the Polka Dot Attic in Danville, California.

MELISSA SWEET (www.melissasweet.net) has illustrated more than 70 children's books, includingA River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant, a Caldecott Honor Book and aNew York Times Best Illustrated Book. When creating the mixed media paintings forRubia and The Three Osos, Melissa was inspired by the colors and textures she saw during a trip to the American Southwest. She lives in Maine, where she makessopa of all kinds.

PreS-K–A marvelous retelling of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” with a lively bilingual twist. Rubia makes herself at home while the three osos go out for a stroll. Where the original story concludes with confrontation and flight, Elya's surprise ending offers conflict resolution and friendship. The narrative includes bouncy rhythms and smoothly intersperses Spanish words into the English. This technique helps children use context to determine their meaning. The book will also help preschoolers grasp the concept of opposites while expanding their vocabularies in both languages. Spanish is printed in a purple font, and a glossary is provided in the back. The mixed-media illustrations capture the bright colors of Southwestern landscapes and designs as well as the cheerful tone of the story. Sweet also adds nice regional details, such as Rubia's cowgirl boots and cacti scattered throughout the pictures. An excellent read-aloud for storyhours and family reading times.Mary Landrum, Lexington Public Library, KY
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