Once Around the Block / Una Vuelta a la Manzana

By Jos Lozano

Book Overview

There's always a lot of action in the Mexican American neighborhood where Mr. Lozano lives. Amelia argues with Anita; Benito loves bean burritos but not bumblebees; Hortencia and Herminia hover around like hummingbirds; and Zacarias is catching some Zs on Zachary Street. Jos Lozano's wacky little stories and illustrations combine Mexican culture with Sesame Street smarts to make for a wonderful read-aloud ABC book in Spanish and English.

Jos Lozano, who lives in Anaheim, California, makes his living as an elementary school teacher, but his passion is art. He is a rising star in the thriving Latino art scene in Los Angeles.

"With this amusing trip through the streets of a Mexican-American neighborhood, readers will discover the lives, adventures, secrets, hobbies and special skills of a most varied gallery of personages.

"With the skills of a master storyteller, Lozano creates in each page, in alphabetical order, a lively, one-paragraph portrait using words that start with the same initial letter of his characters' names: "B is for Benito who loves baseball, bumblebees, and big bean burritos"; "I is for Isabel who likes to stay indoors, cruise the Internet and write interesting stories"; "P is for Pablo who has won many prizes for playing the piano perfectly." (Los Otros, hermanos To io, Lluvia and Chuy, new to the neighborhood, haven't yet learned English.)

"The author's detailed and vibrant gouache paintings are framed as pictures in an album, reflecting the festive spirit of a real Hispanic community. Crosthwaite's excellent Spanish rendition maintains the savor and rhyme of the original text and its clever wordplay, making the story enjoyable in both languages. Drawings of alphabet cubes serve as dividers between the texts."--Kirkus Reviews

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1933693576
• ISBN13: 9781933693576
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 11.0" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 3 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 5

Customer Reviews

Its charm is only exceeded by its originality

Written and illustrated by Jose Lozano, "Once Around the Block: Una Vuelta A La Manzana" is a creative alphabet story with a delightful Latin twist. A page is dedicated to each letter that tells a story in both English and Spanish using as many important words beginning with the featured letter as possible! The story takes the reader for a vivid stroll around the neighborhood of Latin American ethnicity. An example of a letter's tale might be: "X is for Xochitl who plays the xylophone in the school band. Roxanne, Xochitl's mother, invited everyone on the block for a tamale party. 'I bet your mother uses cinnamon and nutmeg in her sweet tamales,' Xavier told Xochitl. 'You must have x-ray vision,' she laughed. 'I'll get her to Xerox the recipe from her Old Mexico book.'" There is even a mention of Los Otros, N, LL, & CH, letters that are used in Spanish but not in English. "Give them time and soon they'll be part of our happy block." "Once Around the Block" is a delightful bilingual ABC book with warm, vivid illustrations of happy faces and places. Its charm is only exceeded by its originality.