cover image La Madre Goose: Nursery Rhymes for los Niños

La Madre Goose: Nursery Rhymes for los Niños

Susan Middleton Elya, illus. by Juana Martinez-Neal. Putnam, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-25157-3

Elya reinterprets 18 classic nursery rhymes, incorporating Spanish vocabulary into offerings like “Three Little Gatitos” (who have lost their mitoncitos) and “Little Miss Amarilla,” who “sat in her silla,/ eating her beans and arroz.” Debut illustrator Martinez-Neal contributes ultra-cozy mixed-media scenes featuring multiethnic children and anthropomorphic animals. In one of the most successful reworkings, rabbit spouses nuzzle happily near their brand-new pumpkin home: “Peter, Peter Calabaza,/ got a wife for his new casa./ When she saw the round casita/ she repainted it—bonita!” Ages 5–8. Author’s agent: Victoria Wells Arms, Wells Arms Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Stefanie Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary. (July)