Count on Culebra: Go From 1 to 10 in Spanish - Hardcover

Ann Whitford Paul was a social worker before becoming a writer. Kirkus Reviews called her text for Mañana Iguana “clever” and said it is “an excellent chance for young readers ... to learn some Spanish vocabulary.” Ann Whitford Paul writes poetry, picture books, and easy readers for children. Some of the picture books she wrote are "The Seasons Sewn: A Year in Patchwork," "All by Herself," and "Eight Hands Round: A Patchwork Alphabet." She lives in southern California.

Kindergarten-Grade 3—This follow-up to Mañana Iguana (2004) and Fiesta Fiasco (2007, both Holiday House) features the same four friends. When Iguana stubs her toe on a stone, she is unable to make a pan of her famous cactus-butter dulces (candies). Everyone has suggestions, but it is Culebra (snake) who finds the cure. He tells Tortuga (turtle) and Conejo (rabbit) to tie a rope to Iguana's tale and attach "un rolling pin," "dos kettles," "tres skillets," and so on, all the way up to "diez spoons." As the lizard walks around, the resulting clatter soon causes her to forget about her injury, and the friends work together to make the sweets. This slapstick tale seamlessly incorporates Spanish counting words as well as animal names. At the end, the animals are shown enjoying the treats, for which a no-cook recipe is appended, along with a glossary and pronunciations. The bright, cheerful cartoons, done in vibrant Southwestern hues, are set against white backgrounds. The characters' faces are expressive and their actions humorously exaggerated. Which will young listeners remember more, the "uno, dos, tres" or the "PLINK, PLANK, PLANG, BLATTER, BLITTER, BLING" of the kitchen utensils? Whichever it is, they will have fun with this book, and perhaps those Spanish names will stick.—Marian Drabkin, formerly at Richmond Public Library, CA
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