How Are You? / ¿Cómo estás?

February 15, 2018
Sometimes all it takes to make a friend is to say "Welcome! Bienvenida!"First introduced to this friendly pair of giraffes--one Spanish-speaking, the other Anglophone--in How Do You Say? / Como se dice? (2016), readers now find them greeting an ostrich. After the initial "Welcome! Bienvenida!" they move on to, "Como estas? How are you?"--but the ostrich doesn't manage a response. "Are you shy? Eres timida?" they want to know. "No," it responds, looking a little overwhelmed by their exuberance. Subsequent questions--"Are you hungry?...Are you tired?...Are you scared?...Annoyed?"--are met with the same "No." Flopping onto their rears in exhaustion, they finally ask, "Then, how are you? Entonces, como estas?!" Readers might be surprised by the answer: "I'm excited!... / ...Because I have new amigos!" It looks like this ostrich is bilingual! Time to celebrate "Fiesta? Okay!" The limited text is complemented by illustrations portraying plenty of action. Making use of ample white space, Dominguez keeps the focus on the playful giraffes and their new friend. The dynamic illustrations--created with pencil and tissue paper on illustration board then digitally colorized--depict the three in bold outlines and a limited earth-tone palette. Here's hoping these endearing giraffes will continue making plenty of amigos. (Picture book. 2-4)

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April 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 1-Two charismatic giraffes explore emotions with a new bilingual friend. Dominguez's giraffes, first featured in How Do You Say?/¿Cómo se dice?, meet a seemingly stoic ostrich and try to guess how it is feeling. The giraffes, who speak Spanish and English respectively, shoot off questions about emotions ranging from shy/tímida to excited/emocionada, their curiosity growing each time the ostrich replies with a simple "no." Despite speaking different languages, the giraffes understand each other, and ultimately discover that the ostrich can understand both of them when it finally responds to their inquiries using Spanglish ("Because I have new amigos!"). This light allegorical touch adds depth to the playful narrative and is a nod to bilingual readers. Dominguez adds charm and humor to her signature pencil and tissue paper illustrations by depicting the giraffes' attempts to act out what each possible emotion would look like, such as hiding behind a tree to show feeling scared/miedo, or a close-up of their furrowed stares to depict annoyed/irritada. Readers familiar with Dominguez's previous title will be delighted by the familiar celebratory ending. VERDICT This amusing and accessible bilingual read-aloud is a great addition to picture book collections.-Jessica Agudelo, New York Public Library

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