The Moon is La Luna

October 1, 2007
Gr 1-6-This collection of short rhymes combines English and Spanish to teach Spanish vocabulary. Some of the poems highlight similar words that mean different things: ""Pies", in Spanish, are not pies, /Or anything else good to eat./'Pee-ace, ' it's said, /So don't be misled/"Pies", in Spanish, are feet!" Harris also provides memory tricks, such as, "To say 'salt' in Spanish, just leave off the 't.'/Some "sal" on my popcorn sounds yummy to me." The book ends with a glossary and a pronunciation guide. Reminiscent in style of the art in William Steig's "CDC?" (Farrar, 1984) and "CDB!" (S & S, 2005), Cordell's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations work seamlessly with the text. The pictures add to the verses' humor, which in turn helps children learn and remember. This fun and educational offering would be equally effective in ESL or Spanish-language classrooms."Susan E. Murray, Glendale Public Library, AZ"

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