Lucas and His Loco Beans: A Bilingual Tale of the Mexican Jumping Bean
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\ CriticasK-Gr 2-Bilingual books as a genre have elicited heated debates in the past, with some in favor of the form and others vehemently opposed to it. With a text that intersperses Spanish phrases in the English dialog, this title is sure to please proponents and incense opponents. For example: "My Abuelo said, stos son the right trees! Dame tu mano and slowly come near." Although the Spanish words are italicized and translated elsewhere on the page, the linguistic intermixing could prove confusing to some readers. On the other hand, it may well reflect the true speech patterns of a segment of the population and therefore may be taken as authentic. Let the debate rage. Children will enjoy the story of a boy visiting his grandfather's ranch and learning all about Mexican jumping beans. They will also appreciate the pastel illustrations of the two main characters in an outdoor setting. The book's design also includes, in the bottom right-hand corner, a flip-book device showing the life span of the jumping bean. The final section of the book offers further facts about the Laspeyresia saltitans species in separate English and Spanish texts, along with scientific diagrams. A Spanish vocabulary quiz with 37 words appears in the final pages, as well as a note from the author. Recommended for larger collections and bookstores. \ —Maria Otero-Boisvert, "Criticas" Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.\ \
