Reviews

Rubia and the Three Osos by Susan Middleton Elya

pandacat42's review

The pictures were lovely and I liked the touches the author added to the story at the end, but the rhyming was jarring. The author could have told the story without rhyming it.

autumn_devries's review

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This is a modern day version of Goldilocks and the three bears with a Spanish twist. Great book that incorporates diversity through music and multiple languages.   

paperfemme's review

5.0

Nicely done. Our semi bilingual house will be buying our own copy once this one goes back to the library. Excellent weaving of English & Spanish, nice cultural references, criminalized white girl (yea!), and a nice twist to reinforce the importance if meaningful apology. There aren't enough stars.

beecheralyson's review

3.0

I have mixed feelings about this book. First let me say, I actually like this version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The twist at the end is wonderful. The illustrations are fun. As a book/story, I would be happy with it. However, as an educator with an immersion Spanish program at my school, I have some issues with the way the Spanish is included. We spend lots of time and energy in building up a strong language base and fighting against Spanglish. To have a story that randomly throws in Spanish words (yes, they are highlighted in a different color) is what I struggle with. Thoughts - do the story in English and Spanish. Or if you are going to highlight words and feature them as Spanish vocabulary then be consistent about how you introduce those words and consistently repeat them.

whitls's review

5.0

I thought this book was a great little Spanglish book. Being a student working towards becoming an English and Spanish teacher this book really stuck a chord with me. It didn't stray far from the original story but it did play with the language. This could easily be used in any level classroom where you can teach about word choice and language and how important both are to the storyline.

trixie_reads's review

3.0

Cute!

sarahabigial's review

adventurous funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Title: Rubia and the Three Osos (2010) 
Author: Susan Elya
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet
3 Tags: Spanish, Excitement, Thriller
Summary: The Oso family is going out for a stroll, and Rubia has her eye on their empty casita. A nice bowl of sopa, a comfortable chair, a perfecta little bed… Who wouldn’t want to open la puerta and come in? This is the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, retold in a musical combination of English and Spanish,
Review: This fairytale children's book is a fantastic storyline as well as a great introduction to the Spanish language. This book gives simple small words to simple words already knowledgable to them. I love the fairytale and overall it is a great exciting book for children! I would definitely have this book in my classroom. 

libscote's review

3.0

Overall, I really liked this story, especially about making up for your mistakes, but I really disliked the reference to Mama Bear dieting. That isn't really something I want to promote at storytime, which makes me unlikely to read it. They are going to get enough of that message later anyway.

zbayardo's review

4.0

Loved the Spanish/English mix and the ending showing how to apologize sends a great message as well.

jmshirtz's review

4.0

I love the illustrations, the Spanish, and the twist on a familiar story, but I didn't like the inclusion of Mama bear wanting to go on a walk to be "thinner" and Papa bear rolling his eyes at it. Um...no. Still, Rubia wanting to right her wrongs was appreciated.