From School Library Journal
Bright, busy, and iconic, the cut-paper collages in these two books show common objects in a house and about town. Each picture has a short sentence explaining the action; all of the objects are labelled in both English and in Spanish. An added plus is that My House introduces colors and Taking a Walk introduces shapes. The simplicity and directness of the presentations make these good teaching tools regardless of listeners/readers' first language, as the words chosen are appropriate for young children. However, the Spanish translations contain a number of errors. For example, in My House , purpuera is used for "purple." Purpura is the correct term. El apagadore de luces is not as current as el interruptor for "light switch." There are also problems with agreement-- el aula, not la aula as Taking a Walk uses it--and numerous spelling errors. Also in Taking a Walk , "square" is translated as cuadro , which means "picture." The word used for "kite," el papalote, is a specifically Cuban term; the more common usage is la cometa. There are also some misplaced accent marks. It's a pity because, were it not for the errors, the books could have provided a pleasant and effective bilingual offering with great child appeal. --Ann Welton, University Child Development School, SeattleCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes
Text: English, Spanish

Card catalog description
Captioned illustrations and Spanish and English text describe things found in a house.

ANNOTATION

"In a creatively designed introduction to a second language, Emberley offers clean, bright collages on a white background that picture a wide variety of things seen around the house. Each item is labeled with its name, with English in blue and Spanish in black. . . . Attractive and useful."--Kirkus Reviews. Full color.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Beverly Kobrin