LITTLE SUNNY SUNSHINE / SOL SOLECITO

This traditional children’s song from Colombia celebrates the sun and the moon.

The Canticos series brings traditional songs from Latin America to the American market. Following the design of the previous books in the series, the book has a concertina format that reads in Spanish in one direction and in English in the other. A happy-looking pig leads the song, asking the sun to “warm me up / and be mine, // today, / and tomorrow, // and the week that follows.” In the spread, young readers will be delighted to lift a flap for each day of the week and discover a different activity under each one. Bright and cheerful illustrations stand out against a white background, but the real showstopper is a glowing sun with orange and gold foil rays that turn with a spinning wheel. Of course, after day comes night, and with that comes the moon: “Luna lunera… / cascabelera // mañana volaré / porque el mundo me espera.” This is loosely translated as “Moon looney looney, / rattle tattle tooney, // the world I’ll explore way / up high in a balloon-ey.” As with the other books, there is an associated free app that children can use for singing along.

With singing, interactive, and learning possibilities, this is another delightful addition to the series.