(Reviewed with Alma and Her Family / y su familia) A pair of bilingual (English/Spanish) board books about Alma, the young Peruvian American girl who debuted in the picture book Alma and How She Got Her Name, introduces this spirited child to a toddler audience. In Alma and Her Family / Alma y su familia, Alma details a specific thing she likes to do with individual family members (e.g., “I listen to my great-grandma. / Esucho a mi bisabuela.”). In Alma Head to Toe / Alma de pies a cabeza, Alma tries to stay focused on describing her body from head to toe but spends just as much time interacting with her pet bird, Pajarito, whom she snuggles right up to her chest near story’s end. “And here is my heart. / Y aquí está mi corazón.” The short, declarative sentences in each book use black for English, red or blue for Spanish. Ample white space surrounds the text and art, which uses a muted palette of black, white, red, and blue. (Ages 1–4)

Get to know Alma, head to toe . . . in two languages! The beloved star of the Caldecott Honor Book Alma and How She Got Her Name appears in a series of joy-filled bilingual board books featuring words and simple phrases in English and Spanish.

I have two eyes, one nose, and a mouth. / Tengo dos ojos, una nariz y una boca.
I see you, Pajarito! / ¡Te veo, Pajarito!

Alma is known for her iconic stripes--but there's more she'd like to show you! She has arms, hands, and fingers for patting a pet bird--as well as legs, feet, toes, and one adorable belly, below her ever-present heart. Juana Martinez-Neal's bilingual board book teaches body parts while sharing moments in a little girl's world, in a conversational narration (shown in both languages on every spread) combined with gentle, inviting illustrations.