Carlos and the Skunk/Carlos y en zorrillo
Book Review:
Carlos and the Skunk tells the story of one of Romero-Stevens'
familiar characters, Carlos. Carlos is growing up and wants to impress
his long time friend, Gloria. He spends a lot of time in front of the
mirror combing his hair "just right." Carlos also wants to show off
for Gloria and one day while a familiar visitor, Dos Dedos (Two Toes),
the skunk is walking through their garden, Carlos tells Gloria he can
catch the skunk. Gloria warns Carlos to be careful but he tells her
he's heard that if you grab a skunk by the tail, it won't have time
to spray you. Carlos learns the hard way if what he has been told is
true. He runs away embarrassed, but his wise and understanding parents
help him. They don't tell him they know about his foolish experiment.
The book is written in both English and in Spanish which makes this
particularly valuable for bilingual readers as well as students learning
English or Spanish. The illustrations by Jeanne Arnold are bright and
colorful and have a folk art quality which lends itself to the authenticity
of the story. Romero-Stevens also shares a recipe for fresh salsa at
the end of her book.
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