The Dog Who Loved Tortillas

August 10, 2009
Diego Domínguez from A Gift from Papá Diego
(1998) returns in this bilingual sequel that sees the boy’s family gaining a new member—a puppy from the Humane Society named Sofie. Diego and his older sister, Gabriela, both want a dog of their own, but agree to share (“But it will be more mine
, Diego thought. But it will be more mine
, Gabriela thought. Diego smiled at his sister. She smiled back at him”). Though the siblings initially find Sofie difficult to train, they learn that the puppy (like the rest of the family) is a big fan of Mrs. Domínguez’s homemade tortillas, which they use to help her learn tricks. The length of Sáenz’s text almost makes the book read like a short story—one that ably portrays mischievous sibling dynamics, a love of animals and the ways families come together during difficult times (Sofie falls ill at one point). Set against colorful solid backdrops, Garcia’s clay artwork has an appropriately homey quality that keeps the focus on the siblings and their beloved pet. Ages 5–10.

October 1, 2009
K-Gr 3-A captivating bilingual book with close family relationships and unconditional love at its core. When Gabriela and Diego ask for a dog, their parents tell them that they will have to share, which the siblings reluctantly accept. The family goes to the Humane Society, where Gabriela chooses the perfect puppy and Diego chooses the perfect name: Sofie. They bathe her, battle for the right to sleep with her, help in her training, and both claim to love her more than the other. While teaching her a trick, the children discover the pup loves tortillas; soon she is known to the entire neighborhood for her gentleness, sweetness, and as the dog who loves tortillas. When Sofie gets sick, the children finally learn to share her. Full-page innovative and colorful clay illustrations will hold the attention of young readers. The Spanish corresponds to the vernacular used by some Hispanic-American communities in the Southwest of the U.S. One of its characteristics is the elimination of conjunctions and articles used in standard Spanish. Both versions have a few typos."Narda McCarthy, Para Los Niños, Broward County, FL"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2010
Siblings Diego and Gabriela fight over their new puppy Sofie until Sofie's illness brings them together. The illustrations, which appear to be photographs of figures molded from clay, are awkwardly staged. Though the story's message is sound, its wordiness and hard-to-follow text placement (Spanish translation alongside the English) make for a difficult reading experience.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)