cover image ¡Olinguito, de la A a la Z!

¡Olinguito, de la A a la Z!

Lulu Delacre. Lee & Low/Children’s Book Press, $18.95 (40p) ISBN 978-0-89239-327-5

In a bilingual, wildlife-themed alphabet book, readers explore the Ecuadoran Andes, joining a visiting zoologist on the hunt for a “dozing olinguito” (an extensive afterword explains that the olinguito, similar to a raccoon, was only first identified in 2003). Most of the alphabetical alliteration appears in the Spanish phrases (“Nubes, niebla y neblina anidan el noble bosque nublado” translates as “Clouds, fog, and mist nestle in the noble cloud forest”), placing a firm emphasis on that language throughout. Delacre’s (How Far Do You Love Me?) fluid mixed-media collages capture the jungle environment in eye-catching splashes of patterns and color, and the zoologist can be seen in the distance of the images, providing a seek-and-find element. A rich and layered trip to the Andean cloud forest that revels in the miracles of biodiversity. Ages 6–10. (Feb.)