The Iguana Brothers, a Tale of Two Lizards

Tom and Dom, a young pair of iguanas, come to believe that they are dinosaurs, and while Dom is just happy with being himself, Tom is uncertain about whether iguana life is right for him.

PreSchool-Grade 3?These three brief tales about iguana brothers Tom and Dom describe how they give up their regular diet of bugs to become flower eaters; explore their physical similarity to dinosaurs; and affirm their friendship. The text includes a variety of Spanish words and expressions that are understandable in context as they are usually accompanied by an English translation (e.g., "?De veras? Really?"). Told in short, declarative sentences, the gently humorous vignettes would be fun for competent beginning-bilingual readers to tackle on their own, or for sharing aloud. Adults will find this an easy-to-use resource for mixed groups of English and Spanish speakers. The format is long and narrow, an eminently suitable shape for illustrations of these long-tailed reptiles. Teague's densely colored acrylic paintings make the most of the story's lush Mexican setting, and include other attention-getting animals such as a snake, toucan, armadillo, and tarantula. Tom and Dom feel like twinkling with happiness at the conclusion of the book; children will leave the story with a similar feeling.?Ellen Fader, Oregon State Library, Salem
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Not since Frog and Toad has there been so fetching a pair of friends as Tom and Dom, iguana brothers living south of the border. Really three tales in one, Johnston's (Amber on the Mountain) hilariously deadpan narrative offers snappy dialogue and the same staccato cadence as Arnold Lobel's classics. In the first episode, Tom (the brains of the outfit) turns vegetarian, eschewing bugs for flowers. Next, Tom convinces Dom that they are really fearsome dinosaurs, but when ruling the earth doesn't work out, they settle for ruling a leaf instead. And finally, when Dom admires his favorite constellation-"The Big Iguana," of course-Tom determines to find him a friend just as "twinkly and beautiful." Spanish words and phrases neatly enrich the Mexican setting, and Teague's (Pigsty) loopy sense of humor finds a worthy artistic outlet in the fond interplay between the scaly siblings. His softly shaded illustrations are appropriately rich with hues of green, brown and terra cotta, and his sassy lizards are bursting with personality. Ole! Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 3-7. Perfect for reader's theater, this droll picture book is like a staged comic act. The lizard brothers, Dom and Tom, are taking siestas in the Mexican sun. They are blinking. And thinking. Dom is slurping bugs, many bugs ("Adi{¢}os, bug"), but Tom is sick of bugs; Tom thinks bugs are gross-os. In another scene, they imagine they're dinosaurs and strut up and down the vine, but then a tiny lizard scares them, and they laugh and take their siestas in the sun. In a third episode, they search for a friend, but neither a tarantula nor a toucan nor an armadillo will have anything to do with them, and the brothers decide they like each other best of all. Teague's double-page-spread acrylic paintings in rich tropical colors show the two scaly iguanas sprawling on facing pages; one eager, one affected; both of them gross and good-natured and wonderfully banal. One episode at a time may be enough for the very young listeners, but kids will enjoy playing these characters and improvising more silly conversations. Hazel Rochman