LITTLE REVIEWS FOR THE LITTLE ONES

There is more to learn from bilingual children's books than just language

San Vicente's artwork is a collage of painted Posada and comic strip. The master printmaker's iconic calacas - dancing, singing, horseback riding skeletons - come to life in this "little-bitty" book celebrating the Day of the Dead. Originally published in Mexico, The Festival of Bones is a quirky, fun, beautifully illustrated and - best of all - bilingual children's book. •

THE FESTIVAL OF BONES/EL FESTIVAL DE LAS CALAVERAS By Luis San Vicente Cinco Puntos Press $14.95, 32 pages ISBN: 0938317679

Pepita Finds Out continues the adventures of Pepita, a precocious, spunky Chicanita with an active imagination who likes everything "exciting and important." When she is bored in school, she starts daydreaming, imagining herself in a magical castle, having fun pretending with her dog and doll. Her latest assignment for class requires her to come back to reality in order to interview an older family member and find out what he does. No one in her family does anything exciting or important - or so Pepita thought. By the end of the story, Pepita -and the elementary-school aged reader - learns a valuable lesson about being true to yourself.

Part of an ongoing series, Pepita Finds Out is a delightful, lighthearted, bilingual story for younger children. But for some inexplicable reason, the book bears a dedication "to the armed forces of this awesome country." There is enough flag-waiving and military recruiting in our schools - what is it doing here? •

PEPITA FINDS OUT/LO QUE PEPITA DESCUBRE By Ofelia Dumas Lachtman Illustrated by Alex Pardo DeLange Piñata Books $14.95, 32 pages ISBN: 1558853758