GONZALO GRABS THE GOOD LIFE
by Janice Levy & illustrated by Bill Slavin
A winning lottery ticket spurs a rooster to kiss off his job on don Chucho’s farm in this spirited if predictable outing. Leaving farmer and tearful hens behind (“This rooster stuff is nothing to crow about. It’s time to grab the good life!”), Gonzalo hops aboard a bus—only to discover that yachting just makes him seasick, his feathers fall off in his Miami mansion’s hot tub, the Hollywood la vida loca leaves him both fat and sore and his friends run out when the money does. When even going to church and singing in the choir fails to satisfy, Gonzalo sees the light at last and, like the Prodigal Son, arrives back home to a warm welcome. Not that he’s much reformed or chastened by his experiences. Slavin mixes humans and animals indiscriminately in his thickly textured illustrations and, along with tucking in visual jokes, endows the irritable, scraggly-looking Gonzalo with plenty of personality. The few Spanish words and phrases add just a hint of cultural gusto. (Picture book. 6-8)