¡Es día de feria, Ámbar Dorado! (It’s a Fair Day, Amber Brown!)

By staff -- Críticas, 5/15/2007

REVIEWED WITH:
Lista para segundo grado, Ámbar Dorado.
(Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber Brown)
Danziger, Paula.tr. by Enrique Mercado. illus. by Tony Ross. U.S.: Alfaguara Infantil: Santillana (A de Ámbar). 2007. 47p. ISBN 978-1-59820-593-0. pap. $7.95.

PreS-Gr 3–Early Spanish readers can now follow the exploits of the charming, freckle-faced raconteur. In Fair Day, Ámbar hopes for a perfect start to the family vacation. Things start off well when they head for the county fair, but when her parents fight, the cotton candy doesn’t taste as sweet. As their argument heats up, she has the scary experience of getting lost in the crowd. Second Grade depicts all the fear and anticipation of a first day of school, impressively juggling a big cast of characters—the boy who shows up with a fake tattoo that he pretends is real, the girl who says Ámbar’s bear backpack is for babies, and the new teacher whose warmth makes Ámbar feel that she really is ready for the second grade. The funny and earnest, first-person narration takes readers blow-by-blow through all the emotions that the child experiences. Apart from the pun in the title of Fair Day, they lose nothing in translation. Recommended for schools and public libraries.—Críticas