La Madre Goose: Nursery Rhymes for los Niños

by Susan Middleton Elya, Juana Martinez-Neal (Illustrator)

Overview

Classic favorites get a modern Latino twist

The itsy arañita
climbed up the water spout.
Down came la lluvia
and washed la araña out.
 
Classic Mother Goose rhymes get a Latino twist in this cozy collection. From young Juan Ramón sitting in el rincón to three little gatitos who lost their mitoncitos, readers will be delighted to see familiar characters in vibrant, luminous scenes brimming with fanciful details.
 
La Madre Goose will make a playful multicultural addition to every modern bookshelf.


A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2016

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399251573
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	07/19/2016
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	275,469
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD490L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Susan Middleton Elya is the author of many books that cleverly incorporate Spanish vocabulary into lively verse, including Little Roja Riding Hood, illustrated by Susan Guevara, and Oh No, Gotta Go!, illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Her writing has been described as “Perfect for bilingual classes stretching their English wings and a charming way to introduce Spanish to English speakers” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

Juana Martinez-Neal grew up and studied painting in Lima, Peru, and now lives with her family in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her children appear in the artwork for “Little Boy Azul,” “Twinkle, Twinkle, Small Estrella,” and “I See la Luna,” and their playfulness inspired many of the antics in the other scenes. This is her first picture book.

Editorial Reviews

05/30/2016
Elya reinterprets 18 classic nursery rhymes, incorporating Spanish vocabulary into offerings like “Three Little Gatitos” (who have lost their mitoncitos) and “Little Miss Amarilla,” who “sat in her silla,/ eating her beans and arroz.” Debut illustrator Martinez-Neal contributes ultra-cozy mixed-media scenes featuring multiethnic children and anthropomorphic animals. In one of the most successful reworkings, rabbit spouses nuzzle happily near their brand-new pumpkin home: “Peter, Peter Calabaza,/ got a wife for his new casa./ When she saw the round casita/ she repainted it—bonita!” Ages 5–8. Author’s agent: Victoria Wells Arms, Wells Arms Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Stefanie Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Elya even gives old rhymes new, culturally relevant makeovers. . . . Martinez-Neal’s softly textured illustrations combine acrylics and colored pencils to beautiful effect. Scenes spill across single- and double-page spreads, sweetly bringing the rhymes to life. Martinez-Neal’s talent is perhaps best represented in the diverse faces of the children she draws, whose genuine emotions pair perfectly with the rhymes they accompany. A lovely multicultural addition to the nursery rhyme shelf."—Booklist


"Susan Middleton Elya instigates linguistic playfulness . . . by plaiting English nursery rhymes with bold-faced words in Spanish. . . . Soft-edged, softly colored illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal give this picture book a cozy feel."—Wall Street Journal


"Elya reinterprets 18 classic nursery rhymes, incorporating Spanish vocabulary into offerings like 'Three Little Gatitos' (who have lost their mitoncitos) and 'Little Miss Amarilla,' who 'sat in her silla,/ eating her beans and arroz.' Debut illustrator Martinez-Neal contributes ultra-cozy mixed-media scenes featuring multiethnic children and anthropomorphic animals."—Publishers Weekly


"Elya presents the familiar rhymes with a twist, following her usual formula of interlingual rhyming text. . . The book’s forte is Martinez-Neal’s soft and delightful illustrations, which capture the sweetness and warmth of the tales. . . A glossary is appended, which includes the Spanish words used, their pronunciation, and their meaning in English, with the goal of introducing English speakers to Spanish words that are not traditionally used in interlingual picture books."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

06/01/2016
Toddler-PreS—A playful collection that interweaves Spanish words into classic Mother Goose rhymes in English. With everything from "María Had a Little Oveja" to "Twinkle Twinkle Small Estrella," Elya presents the familiar rhymes with a twist, following her usual formula of interlingual rhyming text. The Spanish words are presented in bold and italics, and the sentence construction follows an unnatural form of code-switching that doesn't speak to the authenticity of bilingual and Spanish-speaking readers. The book's forte is Martinez-Neal's soft and delightful illustrations, which capture the sweetness and warmth of the tales. Using a variation of single pages and spreads, the illustrator makes the most of each page to enhance the visual experience of children by adding playful characters, Spanish words, and friendly animals. A glossary is appended, which includes the Spanish words used, their pronunciation, and their meaning in English, with the goal of introducing English speakers to Spanish words that are not traditionally used in interlingual picture books. For those interested in a more successful Latino parallel of Mother Goose nursery rhymes, Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy's Mamá Goose: A Latino Nursery Treasury is recommended. VERDICT An optional purchase for library collections.—Sujei Lugo, Boston Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

2016-03-30
Elya's spin on Mother Goose offers a collection of nursery favorites spiced with a Latin American twist.The most successful of these offerings incorporate Spanish words within the familiar cadences of traditional rhymes. "What are las niñas made of? / Azúcar and flores / And all los colores. / That's what las niñas are made of!" But most of them bog down in gratingly awkward phrasing resulting from the substitution of two-syllable Spanish words for one-syllable English words—without accommodating meter. Employing "This little cerdo had roasted carne" instead of opting for the more streamlined "This little cerdo had carne" ruins the lyrical integrity of the verse. Other substitutions are unsuccessful on a content front. The transformation of "Sunday's child" into a bullfighter is disappointing, as is the thieving plate holding a bag of loot (fortuna, to rhyme with luna) in "Hey, Diddle, Diddle." Both "Old Mother Hubbard" ("Old Madre Rosario") and "Little Jack Horner" ("Young Juan Ramón") have been nearly completely rewritten but retain the gists of the originals. Martinez-Neal's illustrations (made with acrylics, colored pencils, and graphite) abound with multiethnic children sporting the requisite chubby-cheeked features of the toddler set, and the artist's animals are of the obligatory fuzzy and frolicking kind seen festooning preschool classrooms.Not one of Elya's stellar efforts. Such previous offerings as Little Roja Riding Hood (2014) and No More, Por Favor (2010) are far better examples of her snappy language-integration skills. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews