QUINITO’S NEIGHBORHOOD/EL VECINDARIO DE QUINITO

Not so much a story as a small boy's introduction of his family members and neighbors, recounted as he makes his way down the street to school. Quinito's neighborhood includes signs in both English and Spanish, lots of small independent businesses and plenty of people who don't subscribe to traditional gender roles, including his father the nurse and his mother the carpenter. At every stop, Quinito knows someone and is sure of his welcome. Ramírez's acrylic-on-canvas paintings feature strong outlines, suggestive of woodcuts, exaggeratedly prominent faces and rich, darkly shaded colors. Not an essential purchase, but this will prove useful even so in curricular settings, when teachers and librarians are presenting units on community helpers and extended families. (Picture book. 3-5)