THE CHRISTMAS TREE/EL ARBOL DE NAVIDAD

A lilting Spanish text and its weak English counterpart relate a cumulative tale about the decorating of a tree, and provide a good argument against the use of bilingual texts. ``Look at the beautiful Christmas tree/with the bright candle/Grandma lit,/the candy cane/Grandpa hung,/and the sleigh/Uncle Irineo painted!'' cannot compare to ``¤QuÇ lindo el †rbol de Navidad/adornado con la vela/que encendi¢ Abuela,/con el caramelo/que le colg¢ Abuelo/y con el trineo/de t°o Irineo!'' These events are illustrated over several pages. The text is so brief that there are only five couplets in the last appearance of the rhyme, and only five ornaments on the large tree. A final page expresses the family's happiness that Christmas has arrived. A lengthy note describes various customs of the season from the author's childhood. The perspectives in the art are flat, more amateurish than naive, with static compositions that do not convey the joy expressed in the text. An unfortunate effort in almost every respect. (Picture book. 3-6)