Raúl the Third

El Toro wants to win against The Wall in an upcoming match, but he also doesn't want to sleep in instead of training. Can his trainer Kooky Dooky convince him to get moving?

This was an entertaining book, especially for kids who like sports and high-action content. It reminds them that while hard work isn't fun, the payoff can be worth it. The overall message about dedication is a positive one.

The text is a mix of English and Spanish, with context clues and repetition of the same idea helping show more to cue the reader in on the meaning of the words. (No glossary is provided.) English words are presented in black ink while Spanish ones use a purple ink. This is a good way to help readers increase their vocabulary of Spanish words or English words, as the case may be. However, for monolingual readers, this may make this otherwise early reader style book a little more challenging to read on their own.

The illustrations are quite interesting. They are not really my preferred style, but they remind me of vintage comics mixed with an art style I am blanking on currently. They are full of fun small details, make use of many colors, and convey lots of action, so kids are sure to like them. show less

Team Up: El Toro & Friends by Raúl the Third is an action-packed early reader that tells the story of how El Toro and his friends became master luchadores under the guidance of their teacher, Ricky Ratón. Through vibrant illustrations and a graphic novel style, the book emphasizes the importance of teamwork and collaboration. Ideal for children aged 4 to 7, it serves as an engaging read-aloud that introduces Spanish phrases and celebrates Mexican culture. Teachers can use this book to show more discuss themes of cooperation and perseverance, as well as to explore cultural diversity in a fun and accessible way show less

¡Vamos! Let's Go Read follows Little Lobo and friends as they explore their library's Libro Love Book Festival! This book is bursting with imagination and is Raúl the Third's creative tribute to the power of libraries and librarians.

A bunch of young animals learning to become luchadores want tacos during their lunch break. But their dreams are dashed when they realize they only have a few cents among them. What will they do now?

The story of this book is cute enough and showcases some ingenuity on the part of the young luchadores as they figure out how to earn their lunch -- with a mutually beneficial show in front of Taco Square that drives more business into the taquerias.

Despite only having a few sentences per page show more at most, this is a slightly more advanced early reader as it contains less repetition and more difficult/uncommon words such as "performance" and "witness." It also mixes in some Spanish words, clearly delineated by purple text rather than the black text used for the English words. Many of these words and phrases can be understood by context clues or an occasional re-iteration in English (not exactly a translation), but there's certainly no glossary. This makes me thinks this book would be best suited for children who are already to some degree bilingual, rather than children trying to learn either English or Spanish for the first time.

Like with the World of ¡Vamos! series by the same creative pair, I find the illustrations overwhelming. There is SO much going on with every scene on every page that I find it difficult to land on a place to focus. Your mileage may vary on this, and some children may love the action-packed feel this gives to the book. There's certainly plenty to look at, which might warrant a re-read and thus reinforce children's reading skills. show less