Mi primer libro de dichos - My First Book of Proverbs, Del Sol Books

Author : Ralfka Gonzalez and Ana Ruiz, Illustrator : Sandra Cisneros
Preschool - 2nd Grade

Américas Award Honor Book
National Parenting Publications Award
American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists"
MultiCultural Review's Recommended Book List

In this playful collection of popular Mexican dichos, or proverbs, artists Ralfka Gonzalez and Ana Ruiz bring to life their most favorite sayings—recorded in their travels throughout Mexico and the United States. Filled with wisdom and optimism, these dichos are a joyous celebration of life and culture; reminding us to "pig out while you have the chance;" that "after the rain comes the sun;" and to "sing every day and chase the mean blues away."

Ralfka and Ana's exuberant illustrations vividly capture the mood and essence of each dicho. With stunning color and folk art flavor, their paintings draw us into a whimsical world where bumblebees play bongo drums and roosters sing all day.

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

"One might describe this book with the dicho, 'Chiquito pero picoso.' Small, but very hot."       —Children's Book Review

"A playful collection of popular Mexican dichos with exuberantly beautiful art."      —Young Children

"San Francisco artists Ralfka Gonzalez and Ana Ruiz have a great deal of fun with the proverbs in this collection, which includes an introduction by Sandra Cisneros. This book comes from Children's Book Press in San Francisco, a pioneering publisher of multiethnic storybooks, and it's a wonderful example of how bilingual publishing enriches everyone."       —San Jose Mercury News

Publishers Weekly : Brilliantly hued, precariously naif paintings-somewhere between a Southwestern sensibility and the look of urban graffiti-illustrate this slight roundup of 27 Mexican American dichos. Each expression is reproduced in Spanish (in a banner within the art) and in English (within the lower portion of the inventive borders). Though some of these brief sayings qualify as "proverbs," others snippets may baffle youngsters: e.g., "Small but very hot"; "You only visit the cactus when it's bearing fruit." And several dichos, though comprehensible, fall into the category of just plain silly ("Pig out while you have the chance"). Others are woodenly translated ("Quien canta su mal espanta" becomes "Sing every day and chase the mean blues away"). A worthy idea for a book, yet unfortunately the dicho featured on the back jacket seems prophetic: "It's a long way from the saying to the doing." Ages 6-up.

School Library Journal : Grade 2-5-Vibrant yellows, reds, oranges, greens, and blues decorate the pages of this collection of 27 Mexican dichos (proverbs). Except for a brief bilingual introduction by Sandra Cisneros, the text is comprised of the sayings themselves, in both English and Spanish. A few will be familiar to American children, such as "The early bird catches the worm" and "It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease," but most of the selections are uniquely Mexican: "What you don't like in others could be in your own house," "A good rooster can crow anywhere," and "Small, but very hot." The folk-art cartoons and dichos work together to reveal some typical aspects of this culture. Children will love the energetic paintings and amusing sayings, whether or not they understand the original Spanish.