Lolo and Birdie

September 15, 2023
"It's time for bed, Lolo!" With a sleeping cap on, Birdie is all tucked in, ready to sleep. Lolo the T. rex, however, has other plans. "No, gracias." But why? Because Lolo is one busy dino--Lolo has plans to play, eat, and play some more. After having a quick reading session, playing, and chowing down on cookies, Lolo is still not quite ready for bed. The comical exchanges between Birdie and Lolo--dino speaking in Spanish, bird translating and responding in English--perfectly depict the challenges of getting a reluctant sleeper to bed. Progress, of course, comes in increments as the exasperated blue bird convinces the orange dino to at least do some teeth brushing in the bathroom. Time for bed now? Nope! Clad in pajamas, the dino jumps onto the bed to play some more while an exhausted Birdie dozes off. "Buenas noches, Birdie." Full of bold lines and soft colors, Dominguez's clean artwork proves an impeccable complement to these nighttime escapades. The author leverages short, dynamic sentences and gentle repetition rooted in Lolo's defiant declarations and Birdie's wearied subsequent translations, to delightful effect. Scattered references to Lolo and Birdie's previous outing add a layer of giddy familiarity for fans of the pair. Bedtime fun with a pair of unlikely friends. (Picture book. 3-5)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2023

PreS-Gr 2-A sweet bilingual follow-up to I'm Hungry!/�Tengo Hambre! Birdie the bluebird is trying to coax dinosaur Lolo into going to bed. Lolo isn't sleepy-isn't right before bed the perfect time to paint, stack rocks, and play with your stuffies? Birdie uses English to question why Lolo is still awake, and Lolo responds irreverently in Spanish. Birdie repeats Lolo's Spanish responses in English. The short and simple sentences in both languages and ample white space make this book perfect for beginning readers. The digital drawings are simple yet expressive and hilariously complement the text. English knowledge is necessary to access this book, as not all English text is translated into Spanish. VERDICT A solid purchase for children's bilingual collections.-Maria Bohan

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2023
The dinosaur-and-bird duo from I'm Hungry! / Tengo hambre! (rev. 3/22) and Dominguez's other cleverly told stories for preschoolers using English and Spanish is wrestling with a classic bedtime conundrum. While Birdie is all tucked in and ready for sleep, dinosaur Lolo insists on not being tired. "Sweet dreams!" says Birdie, in the color-coded, all-dialogue text. But: "No, gracias," replies Lolo. "No thank you?" repeats Birdie, setting up the natural-sounding pattern of translation and fluency between the two languages. This is also reflected in the tidy, uncluttered, and humorous digital illustrations, which support the main text and layer in some funny details, both visual (Birdie's sleeping cap; Lolo's bunny slippers) and textual (Lolo's to-do list: "Jugar, Comer, Jugar mas"). After a series of entertaining back-and-forths, and with the illustrations' backgrounds slowly getting darker and darker, both friends are finally ready for dreamland, each on their own terms -- and resting up for whatever shared adventures might come next. Elissa Gershowitz

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 10, 2023
Preschool-Grade 1 In this bilingual (Spanish and English) bedtime read, Lolo, an adorable T. rex, is absolutely not sleepy, especially when bedtime rolls by. Birdie, his conscientious bestie, wishes him a good night as the sun starts to set, but there are too many fun things for Lolo to do before the day is over. In fact, he is too busy for bed! There are projects, activities, books, snacks, toys, and more, but while Lolo objects, he also manages to squeeze in his bedtime routine: he showers, brushes his teeth, and puts on his pajamas. Birdie continuously prompts Lolo until they are both finally in their cozy beds. Caregivers familiar with the struggle to handle heightened energy at bedtime will surely recognize Lolo's objections, and the steady emphasis on minimizing distractions and establishing routines is a good one. Lolo's short Spanish phrases are repeated in English to help establish language patterns, and both languages work perfectly together as the night becomes quieter, and soon, both bird and dino are sound asleep. Bold, simple artwork is the perfect accompaniment to this bedtime read.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2023
The dinosaur-and-bird duo from I'm Hungry! / Tengo hambre! (rev. 3/22) and Dominguez's other cleverly told stories for preschoolers using English and Spanish is wrestling with a classic bedtime conundrum. While Birdie is all tucked in and ready for sleep, dinosaur Lolo insists on not being tired. "Sweet dreams!" says Birdie, in the color-coded, all-dialogue text. But: "No, gracias," replies Lolo. "No thank you?" repeats Birdie, setting up the natural-sounding pattern of translation and fluency between the two languages. This is also reflected in the tidy, uncluttered, and humorous digital illustrations, which support the main text and layer in some funny details, both visual (Birdie's sleeping cap; Lolo's bunny slippers) and textual (Lolo's to-do list: "Jugar, Comer, Jugar mas"). After a series of entertaining back-and-forths, and with the illustrations' backgrounds slowly getting darker and darker, both friends are finally ready for dreamland, each on their own terms -- and resting up for whatever shared adventures might come next

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)