cover image Una Piraa En Mi Baera

Una Piraa En Mi Baera

Ramon Garcia Dominguez. Grupo Editorial Norma, $7.95 (82pp) ISBN 978-958-04-6022-0

Gr 3-5- This very amusing tale is written in the form of a conversation between the narrator and his interlocutor, the reader. Six chapters are written in conversational Spanish imitating the speech patterns of school-aged children. The narrator tells the story of a visit from his tio abuelo or great uncle, who pauses in his globetrotting just long enough to bring home a pet piranha. Many hilarious episodes take place with this voracious pet at the center of the action. There is a madcap visit to the veterinarian following an unfortunate book bag-eating episode, a detour through the park resulting in a comical frenzy of people trying to get away from the hungry piranha in the pond, and a tantalizing denouement. Although a secondary focus of the story, the great uncle is a character of no small interest. Some hard-to-believe elements of the story approach magic realism but never fully engage. The key to this book's value lies in the dialogue and the description of the action. The simple black-and-white illustrations capture the wacky mood of the text well. Kids will enjoy reading the fast-paced tale written at their level. A perfect selection for bookstores and any libraries serving hungry young readers. Maria Otero-Boisvert, Criticas