cover image I’ll Build You a Bookcase/Te haré tu propio librero

I’ll Build You a Bookcase/Te haré tu propio librero

Jean Ciborowski Fahey, trans. to Spanish by Yanitzia Canetti, illus. by Simone Shin. Lee & Low, $14.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-64379-454-9

This bilingual English-Spanish picture book by Fahey features English text on each verso page, with a Spanish translation on the recto. Gentle rhymes follow the first-person perspective of guardians addressing their children, beginning with “I’ll build you a bookcase before you are born/ that’s made out of boxes from shoes that were worn.” The narrative progresses with the refrain “I’ll build you a bookcase,” counting as children age from one to three, and then advocating for bookcase building to benefit others (“And let’s build a bookcase for other kids too—/ in parks and the Laundromat, even the zoo”). Shin’s illustrations, rendered in acrylic and digitally, feature subtle textures and soft colors, portraying simply featured humans of varying abilities, religions, and skin tones. A quiet encouragement of guardian-child literacy that may inspire similar collaborative projects. Ages 1–3. [em](Apr.) [/em]