Rachel Hobbs was born in the United States to a Californian father and an Argentine mother. She grew up with a love of languages and music and received her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with a minor in music. This is her debut picture book and is a blend of her cultures. She also enjoys volunteering and working with children, in addition to raising her own three kids near Monterey, California. Connect with Rachel at https: //twitter.com/RachelHobbsGunn.

Carolina Vázquez studied Illustration Design at Palermo University in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She started taking drawing classes at the age of thirteen and has been doing freelance work since 2019. She enjoys creating magical, nature-themed illustrations and working with color and light to create a sense of atmosphere in her work. Along with creating art, Carolina enjoys swimming, reading novels and watching animated movies, which greatly inspire her work. Connect with Carolina at https: //www.instagram.com/carov_art/.

A Latinx retelling of Red Riding Hood with a dancing Red and a wolf eager to learn English. Moni is on her way to visit her abuela and is distracted by a music-playing lobo. Some "lost in translation" moments result in Moni running away from the wolf. The bolded sound effects in the tale perfectly evoke the rhythm of dance and underscore Moni's love for it. Vibrant colors in the illustrations support the upbeat tone that hints at the different direction this retelling will take. The depiction of people learning a new language including the hiccups along the way is recreated with warmth and humor, reminiscent of Angela Dominguez's Maria Had a Little LLama/María tenía una llamita. A glossary of Spanish words is included in the back. VERDICT A bright retelling with a real beat, this not only shares the experience of learning a language, but will be a story hour hit.
-Ruth Guerrier-Pierre, School Library Journal

Publisher: Gnome Road Publishing

Pub date: 2023-09-12

Length: 32 pages