Hombre Perro: Juan el Grande, el comienzo

Gr 3-7–This Spanish translation of Dogman: Big Jim Begins is an origin story. Readers will be enamored with feline Juan as alter ego superhero Comandante Pastelito. Friends Gregorio, aspiring reporter Sara Guerra, Susu, and others form a merry band to stop extraterrestrials from taking over their town. Pilkey’s flashbacks provide readers with enough humorous backstory to explain his quirky characters’ dramatic responses to the rescue. Each chapter gives readers a chance to recreate scenes aloud with abandon. Adults who guide their trajectory through Pilkey’s series in English and Spanish will make the most of translator Molinero’s language, which keeps the excitement rolling from page to page, complementing colorists Garibaldi’s and Dzioba’s work in ways that budding artists will appreciate. The book’s final pages encourage readers to delve into illustrating by learning some of Pilkey’s techniques. His mini-biography will inspire a school-age audience to relish this genre as they become more proficient lectors.