Parents' Guide to Juana & Lucas, Book 1

For readers who are graduating to chapter books but still like their art full-color, this book, which seamlessly incorporates easy Spanish vocabulary, is muy fun. Juana & Lucas by author-illustrator Juana Medina is narrated by a schoolgirl from Bogotá, Colombia, a likable, relatable character who's strong-willed and funny. Juana's life in Bogotá isn't so different from middle-class life in the U.S., and the story's full of cozy foreign detail. For instance, though Bogotá's temperate by day, it's colder at night, "so everyone always keeps a pair of slippers by their bed."

Medina displays a lyrical touch when conveying her love of the city. Looking out at the lights at night "looks as if the city is wrapped in a blanket of stars." She's also funny, pulling some information directly from the narrative to illustrate Juana's strong opinions about topics that range from why she hates her uniform to why she loves her dog, Lucas, and her enviably big web of friends and family. Much of the humor stems from her trying to learn a foreign language. When her teacher tells the class they're going to learn "the English," Juana gets a paper cut and cries out, "Ayayay!," but the teacher corrects her: " ... in English it's Ouch!" This inviting book gives readers a very happy glimpse of a young girl's life in a cosmopolitan Latin American city.