I'm Hungry! / ¡Tengo hambre! (Spanish bilingual)

by Angela Dominguez, Angela Dominguez (Illustrator)

Overview

A bilingual picture book that’s sweet enough to eat about a chatty bluebird and an indecisive T. Rex who can’t decide what his next meal should be, introducing readers to basic Spanish and English food vocabulary.

When a bluebird comes upon a dinosaur who’s down in the dumps, he asks what’s wrong.

“¡Tengo hambre!” says the dinosaur. I’m hungry!

Does the dinosaur want a banana?

“¿Plátano? No.”

Fish?

“¿Pescado? No, gracias.”

Nothing seems to do the trick! What does dinosaur want to eat? This delightful bilingual picture book is about finding just the right food—and just the right friend. Perfect for fans of We Don't Eat Our Classmates and Stegothesaurus.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250779960
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	01/11/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	328,137
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.35(d)
Lexile:	AD220L (what's this?)
Age Range:	2 - 4 Years

About the Author

Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City, grew up in Texas, and now resides on the east coast. She has written and illustrated several books for children, including How Are You? / ¿Cómo estás?, How Do You Say? / ¿Cómo se dice?, Maria Had a Little Llama (a Pura Belpré Honor book), Sing, Don't Cry, and the Stella Diaz series.

Editorial Reviews

02/28/2022

“What’s wrong?” a squat bluebird asks a sharp-toothed orange dinosaur near the start of Dominguez’s gently comic bilingual picture book. “¡Tengo hambre!” the dino replies. “Oh, you’re hungry,” interprets the bird, before going on to list food options in English, including banana, fish, salad, bread and butter, ice cream, and pizza. Each time, the picky reptile repeats the suggestion in Spanish before declining (“¿Pescado? No, gracias”), quietly occupying itself in the background. When the increasingly frantic fowl finally tears off its chef hat in frustration, the dino reveals an avian dietary preference. Luckily, the quick-thinking bird hasn’t yet exhausted snack possibilities, leading to a conclusion that sees both characters satisfied. Set against a plain white background, simply styled, expressive art supports the pair’s polyglot exchange, making for a read that subtly grows reader vocabulary across both languages. Ages 2–4. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

2021-11-16
Somewhere out in nature, a bluebird meets a hungry, fussy dinosaur.

The much larger orange creature declares, “¡Tengo hambre!” and the little bird responds “Oh, you’re hungry.” An amusing exchange ensues as the bluebird responds in English to the dino’s Spanish statements or questions. The avian altruist considerately offers the dinosaur several foods choices, starting with healthy fare—a banana, fish, fresh salad—and then resorting to calorie-packed grub like pizza, cake, and ice cream. Each meal option is met with refusal, much to the bluebird’s growing exasperation. Finally, it throws out its wings, declares “I GIVE UP!” and asks the dinosaur what it would prefer to eat. It turns out that the bird itself is the dinosaur’s desired repast. Thankfully, with some quick thinking, the beleaguered birdie is able to come up with a solution that saves its life and appeases the ravenous reptile’s hunger. Then the two animals become friends. The simple premise of this dialogue story will be relatable to caregivers who deal with picky eaters, while kids will appreciate the minimalist, childlike drawings and droll outcome. The text mostly avoids the simple sentence and phrase repetition used in most bilingual picture books. Instead, young readers are invited to infer word meaning through a cross-lingual question-and-answer format, supported by context cues. The animals’ genders are unspecified. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An amusing bilingual repartee that just might stir up an appetite for friendship. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews