HOW DO YOU SAY? / ¿CÓMO SE DICE?

As a Spanish-speaking giraffe and an English-speaking giraffe meet, they discover friendship has no language barriers.

Two giraffes meet—“Oooh / Aaah”—and find they have much in common. They agree the acacia they nibble on is delicious and that they can share water from the same pond. And as they eat and drink, they get to greet. “Hello? / ¿Hola?” and “Good day! / ¡Buenos días!” lead to “Happy / Feliz” and “Friends? / ¿Amigos?” and a shared, enthusiastic “OK.” Time now to celebrate: “Party! / ¡Fiesta!” And after that? “Nap? / ¿Siesta?” of course! The final two-page spread shows a tangle of balloons and giraffes sharing Zzzzs. Some things indeed are universal. The illustrations by Pura Belpré honoree Dominguez, created with pencil and tissue paper, then digitally colorized, feature the two giraffes in bold outlines and a limited palette of earth tones. Each two-page spread positions the English-speaking giraffe on the left and the Spanish-speaking one on the right, with only one word per page. Standing out against a white background, the giraffes, or parts of the giraffes, are depicted from different perspectives that add movement and nuance to the story. With only 20 words (fewer, really, since most words are just the equivalent word in the opposite language), so much can be said. Astute adult readers could turn it into a language lesson or a conversation on friendship.

This charming story is as light as air yet carries heft. (Picture book. 2-4)