Little Roja Riding Hood

Little Roja Riding Hood
Written by Susan Middleton Elya
Illustrated by Susan Guavera
Putnam's Sons, 2014. Unpaged Picture Book

This rhyming retelling of a familiar story incorporates Spanish vocabulary into the English text. "There once was a niña who lived in the woods./She liked to wear colorful capas with hoods." The Spanish words are bolded, and there is a glossary at the beginning of the book, but most of the meanings are clear from context. This is an updated version of the story and in the end Red's mother suggests to the grandmother that she should buy a security system and carry a cellphone. Guevara's bright watercolor and ink drawings reflect the vibrant Latino culture suggested in the text. This is a fun way for kids who are new to Spanish to learn a few vocabulary words, and for Spanish/English bilingual kids to celebrate their skill with both languages.

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