Listen to the Desert/Oye Al Desierto
- Book Review,
by Pat Mora, Francisco X. Mora (Illustrator)
From Publishers Weekly
In each spread of this paean to the desert, its various treasures among them a toad, coyote, rain dance and wind all get a rhythmic, drum-like phrase, repeated in English and Spanish, plus a soft watercolor rendering. Ages 3-7. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-A bilingual account of some of the animals and sounds commonly found in the Southwestern desert. Each double-page spread depicts a vast expanse of light blue sky with four lines of text-two in English and two in Spanish-on the verso, and a different creature or scene (owl, toad, snake, dove, coyote, fish, mice, rain, wind) on the recto. The words evoke the rhythmic noises: "Listen to the owl hoot, whoo, whoo, whoo...Oye la lechuza, uuu, uuu, uuu." The translations are appropriate and provide an excellent opportunity to compare the sounds in the two languages. The Spanish text is always indented to separate it from the English; unfortunately, "Listen to" is not consistently translated into Spanish, although those words appear at the beginning of each English sentence. The illustrations evoke Native American art in shapes and colors, and the bottoms of the pages are adorned with geometric designs. This book is a good choice for reading aloud; young audiences will enjoy the predictable, repetitive text, and its bilingual format enhances its appeal in a variety of multicultural settings.Graciela Italiano, California State Polytechnic University, PomonaCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
A very simple text, with each line (``Listen to coyote call, ar-ar-aooo, ar-ar-aooo/El coyote canta, ah£££, ah£££, ah£££''; ``Listen to the wind spin, zoom, zoom, zoom...'') repeated twice in English plus twice in Spanish, becomes a rhythmic, lyrical bilingual chant suggesting the onomatopoeic powers of both tongues. Owl, dove, toad, snake, fish, mice, and rain complete a roster, supplemented by spreads whose pleasingly spare designs feature handsomely stylized figures beneath a mellow sky. A brightly decorative geometric motif runs through the pages to tie it all together. An attractive book for introducing the desert- -and a second language--to young children. (Picture book. 2-7) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
"Vibrantly illustrated double-page spreads accompany the simple text. Librarians will want to use this title with storytime groups."
Book Description
"A bilingual account of some of the animals and sounds commonly found in the Southwestern desert. Each double-page spread depicts a vast expanse of light blue sky with four lines of text—two in English and two in Spanish—on the verso, and a different creature or scene on the recto. . . . The translations are appropriate and provide an excellent opportunity to compare the sounds in the two languages. . . . The illustrations evoke Native American art in shapes and colors, and the bottoms of the pages are adorned with geometric designs. This book is a good choice for reading aloud; young audiences will enjoy the predictable, repetitive text, and its bilingual format enhances its appeal in a variety of multicultural settings."—School Library Journal"A very simple text, with each line repeated twice in English plus twice in Spanish, becomes a rhythmic, lyrical bilingual chant suggesting the onomatopoeic powers of both tongues. . . . A brightly decorative geometric motif runs
Language Notes
Text: English, Spanish
Card catalog description
A bilingual poem which describes some of the sounds of nature in a desert.
About the Author
Pat Mora, a poet of Mexican-American heritage, is the recipient of a 1994 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship in poetry. Her published work includes poetry and nonfiction for adults as well as children. Her previous picture book for Clarion was LISTEN TO THE DESERT/OYE AL DESIERTO, illustrated by Francisco X. Mora. Ms. Mora, a native of El Paso, Texas, now lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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