Raúl the Third

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 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.… (more)

This book is about Los Lobos and his journey to deliver food for El Coliseo's big night event. He stops by all of the food trucks, from The Painted Burro to Kimchi Kiosko. As Los Lobos happily gathers all the food and enjoys a meal with his friends, he sits back and enjoys the show!

This book would be great for 2nd and 3rd graders.

This book would be great to add to my collection of culture books, especially for Hispanic Heritage Month since it describes all types of Hispanic food!… (more)

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 discuss themes of cooperation and perseverance, as well as to explore cultural diversity in a fun and accessible way… (more)