Poco Loco - Hardcover

Krause, J. R.; Chua, Maria

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1477816496 ISBN 13: 9781477816493

Publisher: Two Lions, 2013

Synopsis

Meet Poco Loco. He’s a very unusual ratón. He likes to invent wacky things. When Poco Loco’s Waffle Iron-Weather Forecaster predicts mal tiempo, Poco Loco runs to tell his barnyard friends. But it’s still sunny out, and the other animals don’t believe him. Then a roar of wind whips through their picnic, and Poco Loco and his friends fly up, up, and away. But never fear! Poco Loco will use his wits (and one crazy invention) to save the day! A Spanish/English glossary is included.

About this title

About the Author

J. R. Krause and Maria Chua are a husband and wife team and live near downtown Los Angeles. J. R. is an artist, designer, and animator working in television, and is currently a designer for The Simpsons. Maria is a bilingual psychiatric social worker in Los Angeles. Poco Loco is their first book.

Reviews

Poco Loco is a most unusual mouse. He’s an inventor who combines two seemingly unrelated items into unique but practical creations. A Cuckoo Clock-Coffeemaker and a Waffle Iron-Weather Forecaster are just two examples of his machines. “And the Shower-Bed–most think it’s just plain loco. That’s why everyone calls him Poco Loco.” With a glossary of Spanish words to help them along, readers follow Poco Loco as he tries to warn his friends of mal tiempo (bad weather). However, they do not heed his advice and soon find themselves on a picnic in the middle of a storm. All ends well, thanks to Poco Loco’s genius invention of a helicópter-paraguas (helicopter umbrella). This book will work well during storytimes; its refrain of “ˇAy, Poco Loco!” encourages crowd participation and it has many other opportunities for interaction with the story. The rhyming sentences flow off the tongue and are impossible to say without enthusiasm. “Gato runs!/Gato jumps!/Gato grips tight–…and Gato takes flight!” The digital illustrations are bright and colorful, and a perfect match for the exuberant text. This ratón should find a home in libraries everywhere.– Brooke Rasche, La Crosse Public Library, WI School Library Journal August 2013

Poco Loco the mouse may be a little nuts, but he’s got some great ideas, too.

One morning, after using his Cuckoo Clock–Coffemaker and his Shower-Bed, Poco Loco is making breakfast (fluffy blueberry waffles) on his Waffle Iron–Weather Forecaster when he receives a forecast for mal tiempo (bad weather). The barnyard animals troop outside for a breakfast picnic despite Poco Loco’s repeated warnings. When a sudden gust of wind catches his trusty paraguas (umbrella) and sweeps Poco Loco into the air, his friends panic. Gallo (rooster) tries to help: “ ‘ˇAy, Poco Loco!’ / Gallo runs! / Gallo jumps! / Gallo grabs tight— / …and Gallo takes flight!” Gato, Cerdo and Vaca (cat, pig, and cow) all try to save their friends, until all are flying through the air hanging on to Poco Loco. When the rain comes and they all slip off, it’s a good thing Poco Loco is a genius! He saves the day with his helicóptero-paraguas! Husband-and-wife team Krause and Chua’s debut is an ebulliently silly bilingual barnyard tale with a glossary up front and plenty of prompts for Spanish words in the text and pictures: When Gato speaks, he meows, and Poco Loco’s umbrella is quite obvious when he tells everyone to get under his paraguas. The bright, stylized cartoon illustrations are just what one would expect from a designer who works on the Simpsons TV show.

ˇAy, Poco Loco! We hope to see you again soon. -- Kirkus Reviews March 2013

Edition details

• Publisher: Two Lions
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1477816496
• ISBN 13: 9781477816493
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Krause J. R.
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32