(Reviewed with Alma Head to Toe / de pies a cabeza) A pair of bilingual (English/Spanish) board books about Alma, the young Peruvian American girl who debuted in the picture book Alma and How She Got Her Name, introduces this spirited child to a toddler audience. In Alma and Her Family / Alma y su familia, Alma details a specific thing she likes to do with individual family members (e.g., “I listen to my great-grandma. / Esucho a mi bisabuela.”). In Alma Head to Toe / Alma de pies a cabeza, Alma tries to stay focused on describing her body from head to toe but spends just as much time interacting with her pet bird, Pajarito, whom she snuggles right up to her chest near story’s end. “And here is my heart. / Y aquí está mi corazón.” The short, declarative sentences in each book use black for English, red or blue for Spanish. Ample white space surrounds the text and art, which uses a muted palette of black, white, red, and blue. (Ages 1–4)

Meet Alma's family . . . in two languages! The beloved star of the Caldecott Honor Book Alma and How She Got Her Name appears in a series of joy-filled bilingual board books featuring words and simple phrases in English and Spanish.

I play with my cousins. / Juego con mis primas.
I sing to Pajarito. / Le canto a Pajarito.

How much does little Alma love her family? She kisses her daddy, squeezes her mommy, laughs with her grandma, and . . . paints on her artist grandpa (such a good sport!). Juana Martinez-Neal's bilingual board book brings back familiar characters and introduces new ones in a conversational narration (shown in both languages on every spread) as well as gentle illustrations exuding whimsy and warmth.