Cheech y su autobús escolar. (Cheech and His School Bus)

Reviewed by Joel Bangilan, Juvenile Services Librarian, Alief Regional Branch Houston, TX -- Críticas, 6/15/2007

K-Gr 3–Actor and comedian Marin delivers a humorous and entertaining picture book that will engage storytime attendees. When a group of children put together a mariachi band, they name it Los Cheecharones in honor of their beloved bus driver, Cheech. Their mentor is excited. The problem starts when the band enters a rock-and-roll competition. How can the only mariachi group compete against the cool rock bands? At the competition, bands use lots of strange and unusual gimmicks to capture everyone’s attention: the Monsters sing extra loud; the Cobras wear funny costumes; and the Giant Spiders put out an impressive performance. The Cheecharones try to implement some of these wacky ideas, but they finally decide to follow Cheech’s advice and just play the best they can. In the end, their long practices and passion for their music pay off and everything turns out “Groovanova!” Youngsters will enjoy the funny illustrations, which reflect diversity in the faces of the mariachi band members. Moreover, readers will connect with the text, which suggests that the characters are Spanish-speaking children from the United States: it uses Mexican expressions like “padrísimo,” the Venezuelan “chévere,” and a few Spanglish expressions. An excellent choice for school and public libraries.