Gr 2-4-This alphabet book highlights people, places, and familiar items. Some entries rhyme: "J is for Juchitan. This spot is so hot, it's a good place to nap/In the skinniest part of the Mexico map." Others are in free verse. "L is for Lava. Ash, steam, molten fire explode over the land. A volcano is born." Children will struggle with terms such as "Ballet Folklorico," "Netzahualcoyotl," and "Usumacinta River." No pronunciation help is given. Chunks of information in very small type, written for adults to share with children, appear with each letter. Parra's vividly colored illustrations reflect Mexico's traditions and cultures. The people and places come alive as the artist portrays the diversity of the country's landscape, but the text will require a lot of adult help. -Sandra Welzenbach, Villarreal Elementary School, San Antonio, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Textural folk art paintings visually exude Mexico in this abecedary. Two- to four-line verses introduce topics from A to Z; wide sidebars for each are packed with interesting facts and anecdotes conveying different aspects of the nation's history, landscape, traditions and beliefs. The format is a good one, allowing readers to focus on Parra's (My Name Is Gabriela) dynamic pictures of birds (e.g., the quetzal), ancient deities, stylized landscapes, iconic figures. The text, however, can be inconsistent. A particularly sappy verse-"O is for Olympic Games/ The world went to Mexico, held hands in brotherhood,/ and for one shining moment knew peace"-is contradicted in the sidebar, which refers to the "bloody result" of a student demonstration before the games. Some verses are meaningless without the sidebar explanation: "N is for NetzahualcUyotl/ There was a golden time once/ when men lived dreams/ and poems bloomed like flowers." The sidebars themselves, fortunately, cover a broad range, including cooking directions for prickly pears and a poem written by NetzahualcUyotl, who turns out to have been 15th-century Texcoco's answer to Leonardo da Vinci. Ages 6-10. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Written by Tony Johnston, who lived for many years in Mexico, this book introduces aspects of the land, culture, and history of that country suggested by letters of the alphabet: A is for Adobe. . . . B is for Ballet Folklórico. . . .  Cis for Cacao. . . . D is for Diego Rivera, and so on. Each single-page or double-page entry is accompanied by a two- or four-line rhyme for younger children and, in a vertical border, paragraphs of information for older readers. The alphabetical device inevitably makes for a rather haphazard arrangement of topics, and the rhymed couplets vary in quality. Still, the paragraphs of information are clearly written, often lively, and well worth reading; Parra's paintings illustrate them with flair and distinction. The influence of Mexican paintings and murals is apparent in their fresh combination of folk-art elements, sound composition, and imaginative touches. A colorful introduction to Mexico.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2008 Booklist