Postcards

Award winning author Pat Mora teamed up with her daughter Libby Martinez and illustrator Amelia Lau Carling to produce this lovely picture book that will delight all ages of readers. Based on a bilingual joke from Mexican American folklore, this is the story of Chico Canta, the youngest in a family of twelve mice, who live with their parents and community in a theatre. The mice pride themselves on their multilingualism, speaking English, Spanish, Italian, Moth, Cricket, and Firefly. Young Chico learns to speak Dog and saves their play and the day when a cat interrupts their new production. Mora and Martinez tell the story with charm and ease; Carling’s illustrations are bright and appealing, with just enough detail to captivate young audiences. The story makes bilingualism equally appealing, offering the message of language education with subtlety and humor. This is a truly wonderful new picturebook.

Pat Mora & Libby Martinez Bravo, Chico Canta! Bravo!
Illustrated by Amelia Lau Carling
Toronto: Groundwood, 2014
Unp. ISBN: 9781665093438
(Picturebook; ages 3+)