cover image ¡Vámonos! Let’s Go!

¡Vámonos! Let’s Go!

René Colato Laínez, illus. by Joe Cepeda. Holiday House, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8234-3442-8

In this bilingual adaptation of “The Wheels on the Bus,” multicultural children en route to a park encounter other vehicles that include a train engine, motorcycle, and ambulance. As in the original song, sound effects play a big role, but Laínez moves the focus from the bus to the surrounding vehicles: “The alarm on the fire truck goes woo-ooo-ooo, woo-ooo-ooo, woo-ooo-ooo.” (In Spanish, the same line becomes a touch unwieldy, though no less fun: “La alarma del camion hace uuuah uuuah uuuah, uuuah uuuah uuuah, uuuah uuuah uuuah.”) Cepeda’s characteristically upbeat oil and acrylic paintings have a smudged appearance, as though it might still feel tacky to the touch. A cheery singalong, in both languages. Ages 3–6. Author’s agent: Stefanie Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Oct.)