Tricycle
Class differences are seldom part of stories for very young children, but this book tells of rich and poor from the viewpoint of young Margarita, who climbs a tree on her rich family's estate and sees the shacks on the other side of the hedge, where her friend Rosario lives. Margarita watches as Rosario and her brother take her tricycle, but she doesn't say anything about it, even when her mother's lunch guests spew prejudice ("They're all thieves"). The pictures show the Latino characters in a tropical setting, playing with the thick, leafy hedge that separates them. The text is spare, and the richly colored acrylic art, reminiscent of Anthony Browne's work, is just on the edge of magical realism. Although there is no overt message, there is much to talk about. Link this with Browne'sVoices in the Park(1998).Hazel RochmanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved