I Am La Chiva!: The Colorful Bus of the Andes

PreS-Gr 2–If Little Blue Truck got more vibrant color and headed for South America, it might look and sound a bit like this charming debut picture book. The colorful bus bounds through the Andes, picking up farmers to take to the city square for the market. Each colorful spread is met with four lines of sweet rhymes. Kids will enjoy looking at all the details in the vibrant illustrations: from the cat and frog hiding among flowers in the lush mountains to the various foods people put in their baskets. Spanish words are mixed with English and easy to deduce from the context: “Marina brings onions, sweet corn, and bananos. She goes to the market to help her hermanos.” Back matter includes an author’s note about a childhood in Colombia and a glossary of the Spanish words used in the story.