Los perritos saben mucho y ­crecen/Puppies Know & Grow

Toddler-PreS–A bilingual nonfiction board book featuring a litter of beaglelike puppies. The narrative introduces newborn puppies and how they already know how to sleep, drink their mother’s milk, and yelp when they need help, but they cannot hear or see when they are born. Pérez’s Spanish translations are placed above the English text, separated by a small dog bone. Repetition of the phrase “los perritos recién nacidos…” can be seen in the first few pages, reinforcing rhythm and language acquisition. Schimler-Safford’s soft-toned mixed-media illustrations temper the straightforward text, creating a warm reading experience. The story ends with two of the puppies growing up to be big dogs who like to play with their friends, a dark-haired boy and a blond girl, on opposite pages. Four pages of back matter feature the stages of a puppy—from a defenseless newborn to a rambunctious dog that likes to chew on everything as teeth start coming in.