SPANISH LANGUAGE MATERIALS

Looking for Bongo

by Eric VELASQUEZ
illus. by author. Holiday House. 2016. Tr $16.95. ISBN 9780823435654; pap. $6.99. ISBN 9780823437672.
COPY ISBN
PreS—An Afro-Latino boy searches for his missing stuffed toy. The adorable toddler, depicted charmingly with a puffy Afro, protruding tummy, inquisitive eyes, and pj's, inquires after the whereabouts of his beloved Bongo. The warm oil paintings illuminate in obvious and not-so-obvious ways the family's love of music, literature, and their African roots. Velasquez's Grandma's Records makes a cameo during the boy's bedtime ritual. And as in that previous title, this work's celebration of the diversity within Latinx culture will warm hearts.
A young boy asks members of his family if they have seen Bongo. The toy finally turns up, but the next challenge is catching the mischief-maker who took it. A very simple text incorporates Spanish words and sentences, casually translated in text, context, or illustrations. Realistic, emotive oil paintings contain clever cultural details and depict a close-knit "Afro-Latino family, much like [Velasquez's] own."
Reviewed by Shelley M. Diaz , Feb 01, 2017

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