¡Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market by Raúl Gonzalez III
Published: April 2019
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Little Lobo and his dog Bernabé have many supplies to deliver to the people at the Mercado. He is thorough to check his list to make sure that he doesn’t forget anything as he heads out for the day. His route bustles with the rhythm of the daily grind and brims with innovative businesses of all kinds. Along the way, Lobo and Bernabé catch a dance performance, stop for a sweet treat, and pick up the latest comic; taking in the sights and sounds of the community while making their deliveries with care.
There is no shortage of wonder on these pages. From the comic book look and feel throughout to the Mercado that is chock full of sights to see. Your little reader will have much to explore and learn both in English and Spanish in this bilingual picture book. I read this book with my nieces who are both under the age of 3 and they LOVED pointing to all of the objects they found. This gave me an opportunity to teach them so many words! The glossary helped with that too. It includes many of the Spanish words that are found throughout the book.
I will certainly add a copy of ¡Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market to my K-5 library but I would also recommend it for your pre-school readers (including toddlers) who will have much to gain from this story as a read-aloud. Raul the Third’s illustrations are awesomely detailed and Elaine Bay’s choice of colors set the perfect tone. The characters are memorable and feel timeless. I can only hope to read more books that will feature Little Lobo and Bernabé in the future.
This is the first book that I’ve read from the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Versify imprint that is curated by Kwame Alexander. If Raul the Third’s book is any indication as to the caliber of books we can expect from this imprint, then I am super excited for what is to come. Next up I plan to read The Undefeated, a picture book crafted by two of my favorite kidlit creators author Kwame Alexander and illustrator Kadir Nelson.
This just in | Raul the Third will be in Town!
I live in the Western New York area and learned recently that Raul the Third will be at the Rochester Children’s Book Festival, November 2nd, 2019 at Monroe Community College. I hope to be able to attend!
Shout-Outs
Raul The Third | https://www.raulthethird.com/
Versify
An Imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
https://www.hmhco.com/Borrowed from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
CeCeLibrarian’s Book Blog 
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