Con Pollo: A Bilingual Playtime Adventure

With assistance from Pollo (“rhymes with Fro-Yo”), television host Fallon and entertainer Lopez take readers on a bilingual jaunt through English and Spanish terms: a total of 10 verbs and nouns representing activities and places. Rendered by debut artist Campos in simple line art highlighted with sunny hues, Pollo is a small, egg-shaped chicken with a bright red comb, a tiny yellow beak, and inexhaustible energy. In a series of spreads, the creators proffer an invitation on the verso, followed by an “OR” that pushes readers to the recto, where it’s made clear that life is much more fun con Pollo. “Do you want to go the beach?” reads one spread, showing a lonely pail and shovel stuck in the sand, or “Go to la playa con Pollo?” as the fowl confidently surfs a gnarly wave. Following a range of activities, even Pollo is ready to hit the hay—but a new addition is eager to join for a re-read in a book highlighting “so many things to do/ that you don’t have to alone.” It’s a balance of pedagogy and pure visual fun, smartly gauged for budding curiosities and short attention spans. English-to-Spanish translations, with pronunciations, conclude. Ages 2–5. (Oct.)