Author : Lois Ehlert, Illustrator : Gloria de Aragon Andujar, Translator : Gloria de Aragon Andujar
Preschool - 2nd Grade

Cucu - Cuckoo

Cucu - Cuckoo, Softcover, Bilingual, Book, Lois Ehlert, Gloria de Aragon Andujar, Gloria de Aragon Andujar, Preschool - 2nd Grade, 9780152024284, # 7330s, $8.00
Cucu - Cuckoo, Hardcover, Bilingual, Book, Lois Ehlert, Gloria de Aragon Andujar, Gloria de Aragon Andujar, Preschool - 2nd Grade, 9780152002749, # 7330h, $17.00

All 6 Books, Bilingual Collection Yellow, 4 Softcover Bilingual Books and 2 Hardcover Bilingual Books, Preschool - 5th Grade, #10223, $61.06 (10%-Off)

Vain and selfish Cuckoo learns a lesson in humility and generosity when she undertakes a brave new task. (K-2)

Listen to Vienna Rose read Cuckoo to you.  A marvelous example of the magical encounter between a child and books that we wish for all children.

Amazon : As all the birds agree at the end of this pretty bilingual picture book, "You can't tell much about a bird by looking at its feathers." ("No se puede juzgar a un pájaro por su plumaje.")  The bird in question is a cuckoo bird with a golden voice. She may start out behaving pretty badly, leaving others to do her share of the work, but she sure pulls through in a pinch. After all, what's a full-throated bird to do when the fields are burning? Rescue the seeds, of course, so there will be food next year. Though the other birds assume she's far too frivolous to be any use, that's just what Cuckoo does.  In this bilingual retelling of an old Mexican tale, Cuckoo [Cucu] not only saves the seeds, but also loses her voice in all the smoke and soot. When it finally returns, her lovely singing voice has become a raspy bark, able only to "cuckoo," not to sing.  Beautifully illustrated with bright backgrounds and contrasting cutouts and collages, the book tells its story in both English and Spanish on each page. No doubt we'll be seeing more of such volumes in the future, as publishers work to meet the demand for Spanish-language works. This particular story is a great introduction to the mysteries of multiple languages; the colorful energy of the book's art should keep kids wandering through its pages for a good long time.

School Library Journal : PreSchool-Grade 4. Cuckoo is beautiful?and lazy. She also sings compulsively, irritating the other birds who want to sleep before beginning the arduous task of gathering seeds. They are so exhausted from the continual singing, in fact, that when a fire threatens the seed crop, they all sleep on. The only one awake is Cuckoo, who flies back and forth until all the seeds are safe. In the process, her rainbow plumage is scorched and her beautiful voice turns hoarse?but she earns the undying gratitude of the other birds. This tale, charmingly told in both English and Spanish, is boldly illustrated with large, brightly colored, cut-paper pictures. Inspired by folk art and crafts, the images evoke the tin work and cutout fiesta banners of Mexico. Apparently secured by paper fasteners, Cuckoo and some of the other birds look like jointed toys. A perfect companion to Ehlert's Moon Rope (Harcourt, 1992), this book provides a fine introduction to the pourquoi story form and to literature in Spanish. Given the amount of dialogue in the narrative, the story would adapt easily to readers' theater; as well, it is perfectly suited for use in ESL programs. Another sure winner from Ehlert.

Booklist : Ages 4-7. In this exhilarating adaptation of a Mayan tale, Cuckoo is a colorful bird who sings her sweet song all day, but finally the other animals tire of hearing her. On the night before the birds' annual harvest, a fire breaks out in the field where they gather the seeds to last them through the winter. All night long, Cuckoo picks up the seeds one by one and pushes them down into Mole's tunnel. Though her feathers are scorched black by the flames and her sweet song is diminished by the smoke, Cuckoo has earned the gratitude and respect of the other birds. With text appearing in both English and Spanish, this simply told tale is lifted to a higher dramatic pitch by Ehlert's arresting artwork, some of her best to date. Inspired by Mexican folk art, the paper-collage pictures feature colors that are individually bright and in combination absolutely electric. Story, artwork, and design combine to create a striking picture book that will hold the attention of even large groups. Carolyn Phelan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Kirkus Reviews : A festive bilingual offering from Ehlert (Moon Rope/Un lazo a la luna, 1992, etc.), with the Spanish translation by Gloria de Arag˘n AndŁjar, based on a Mayan tale explaining how the cuckoo became plain. Cuckoo has a lovely song and glorious plumage, but she is lazy. The other birds and animals enjoy her singing, but caw about her lack of ambition. When Owl, the ``bird boss'' (or ``el jefe de los p jaros''), announces that the next day will be seed collection, all the birds go to sleep dreaming of the work ahead. But Cuckoo stays awake, singing, and thus spots the fire that threatens the food supply. She works through the night alone, saving seeds. Her beautiful feathers and sweet voice are scorched; in the morning, her fellows almost don't recognize her. They all agree, as they rejoice in her deed, that ``you can't tell much about a bird by looking at its feathers.'' Ehlert's note says she was inspired by Mexican folk art, and echoes of Mexican papercuts, tinware, santos sculpture, and other forms appear in flat, collage-like patterns, vibrating with rich, bright color. Silver cutouts like tin ornaments illustrate the glossary that appears on the title page-spread. A book almost as much a piece of folk art as it is a folktale. (Picture book/folklore. 3-7)

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