I Am La Chiva!: The Colorful Bus of the Andes

by Karol Hernández, Lorena Alvarez Gómez (Illustrator)

Overview

For fans of The Little Blue Truck, Red Truck and The Little Engine That Could, a rhyming ode to a colorful South American bus and the collective spirit of its people.

This joyful and rhyming picture book written by a debut author and illustrated by the beloved creator of Nightlights and Hicotea, follows the iconic bus, or chiva, as it navigates the rugged Andes mountains, celebrating the rich culture and landscape of Colombia that was so beautifully showcased in Disney’s Encanto.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593529218
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	07/09/2024
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Karol Hernández was born and raised in Colombia. She currently lives in Florida with her husband, three kids, two dogs, and a fish. https://karolitadotcom.wordpress.com/

Lorena Alvarez Gómez is a comic artist and illustrator who loves to work with color and experiment with diverse techniques. She is the author and illustrator of Nightlights and Hicotea and she has also made illustrations for independent publications, advertising and fashion magazines. Lorena works from her home studio in Bogotá, Colombia, surrounded by music and loved ones. She loves to paint, take care of her dog and read comic books. Visit her at http://www.lorenaalvarez.com/ and on instagram at @artichoke_kid.

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/20/2024

“On breathtaking mountains, where coffee beans grow,/ I carry my friends to the green hills below.” In an exuberant debut, Hernández foregrounds La Chiva, “a colorful rustic bus used as public transportation in rural areas of Colombia,” per back matter. Written in bouyant rhyming quatrains from the vehicle’s perspective, La Chiva describes picking up passengers en route to the mercado in town. As the group makes its way (“We turn up the music and play vallenato./ We sing and have fun as we reach el mercado”), La Chiva breaks down, and the riders must band together to find a solution. Crisp rhymes in English and Spanish offer the feel of a bus bustling with animals and people, while Gómez’s digitally finished sketches contribute layered and saturated images of flora and fauna. An author’s note and glossary conclude this feel-good ride. Ages 2–5. (July)

Publishers Weekly

★ "[A] charming debut picture book . . . Each colorful spread is met with four lines of sweet rhymes. Kids will enjoy looking at all the details in the vibrant illustrations . . . A bright and welcoming addition to books about vehicles, with a huge bonus of centering contemporary Colombian culture." —School Library Journal, starred review

★ "Alvarez Gómez makes superb use of color: the lush greens of the surrounding country, punctuated by pops of red, orange, and purple; rich earth tones for the buildings in the square; and, of course, La Chiva, a veritable rainbow. Interspersed with Spanish, the rhyming verse bounces along as energetically as the titular bus . . . A delightful journey; readers will be eager for repeat trips." —Kirkus, starred review

★ "[A]n exuberant debut . . . . Written in bouyant rhyming quatrains . . . . Crisp rhymes in English and Spanish offer the feel of a bus bustling with animals and people, while Gómez’s digitally finished sketches contribute layered and saturated images of flora and fauna." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 03/15/2024

PreS-Gr 2—If Little Blue Truck got more vibrant color and headed for South America, it might look and sound a bit like this charming debut picture book. The colorful bus bounds through the Andes, picking up farmers to take to the city square for the market. Each colorful spread is met with four lines of sweet rhymes. Kids will enjoy looking at all the details in the vibrant illustrations: from the cat and frog hiding among flowers in the lush mountains to the various foods people put in their baskets. Spanish words are mixed with English and easy to deduce from the context: "Marina brings onions, sweet corn, and bananos. She goes to the market to help her hermanos." Back matter includes an author's note about a childhood in Colombia and a glossary of the Spanish words used in the story.VERDICT A bright and welcoming addition to books about vehicles, with a huge bonus of centering contemporary Colombian culture.—Carrie Voliva

School Library Journal