Colors and Shapes / Los colores y las figuras (English and Spanish Foundations Series) (Bilingual) (Dual Language) (Pre-K and Kindergarten)
This series of bilingual board books has received the  Benjamin Franklin Award from the Publishers Marketing  Association. The sturdy binding, chunky size and stiff board  pages coupled with  the bright colors of the illustrations make these books very  appealing to the younger set. Colors and Shapes features  illustrations of multicultural children holding up outsized  shapes in different colors (e.g., red circle, yellow square,  blue oval, etc.). The English words appear in the top left-hand  corner, while the Spanish words appear  in the bottom left-hand corner. The final page depicts a busy  classroom scene and invites readers to identify shapes and  colors from the scene. The Alphabet features illustrations of  toys, musical instruments, and other commonplace items in bright  cheerful colors. Each page showcases a  letter of the Spanish alphabet (? and ll included). The author  has chosen items that begin with the same letter in both  languages (e.g., airplane/ avion, flower/ flor, juice/ jugo).  The use of exotic creatures native to South and Central America  such as the ?andu and the quetzal give this book a uniquely  Latin flavor. Numbers also uses wonderful illustrations of  exotic animals, from the iguana on page one to two toucans,  three turtles, four frogs, etc. All the numbers, one through 10,  are assembled at the end, and readers are invited to repeat  their names in both languages. The final pages list the numbers  up to 20 with both their English  and Spanish names. This well executed series belongs in all  public and school libraries serving a very young Hispanic  clientele. Also appropriate for book-stores. M.O.B.Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.