La Magia de Pablo y Otros Cuentos Con Poderes = Pablo's Magic Tricks and Other Magical Tales

K-Gr 2-The six stories in this chapter book offer up likable animal characters and simple life lessons. The morals range from avoiding jealousy and the power of love to the value of silence and the necessity of speaking to God from the heart. The moralistic tone of this book is reminiscent of the Berenstain Bears books (Random), but it is much more self-conscious. Each story is about five to six pages long and written in a readable, straightforward style. In one, Pablo wants to learn magic tricks to impress his friends. When he puts on a show and flubs the grand finale, he goes home defeated and dejected. That night, a magical character visits him and gives him a powerful magic tip. Sure enough, he tries out the words ""love you"" at school the next morning and makes lots of new friends. While the stories have an old-fashioned charm, they may not be ""cool"" enough for today's savvy readers. The book is best used in a classroom setting.