Cherry Pies and Lullabies

Two boys and their dogs look for the balls they have each lost in the park. Not only do they find them, they each find a friend. The text, in Spanish and English, appears in different colors along with crisply lined illustrations, allowing readers to follow Richard and Ricardo on their hunt. When the boys find their balls and discover their shared interests, they (and the colors) come together on a single page. Reiser’s Margaret and Margarita, Margarita y Margaret explores a similar theme as girls and their mothers meet and discover friendship, despite speaking different languages.

A young girl tells how her great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother perform an everyday activity, whether gathering flowers or making tortillas, and how every time it was the same but different. The vivid illustrations evoke Central American folk art and complement the graceful text presented in Spanish and English.