Fuego, Fueguito / Fire, Little Fire

Fuego, Fueguito / Fire, Little Fire

Justification

Fuego, Fueguito / Fire, Little Fire is on the Tejas Star book list. The Tejas Star book list promotes the exploration of cultures and supports bilingualism. This book is also recommended by Kirkus Reviews as a “gentle exploration of culture and nature”.

Evaluation

Fuego, Fueguito / Fire, Little Fire contains beautiful illustrations of fire in its varying states. The illustrations use a sharp contrast of warm and cool tones to illustrate the heat and dance of a flame. The book also contains Mesoamerican symbols to represent elements, especially that of fire, in ceremonies.

The figurative language used to describe fire brings the little flame to life. The “fueguito” is personified as being a lifelike spark that grows into a beautiful flame. The little fire describes its presence and importance in various aspects of life. The little fire calls himself “the strongest and most handsome Grandfather” on earth.

For some Fuego, Fueguito / Fire, Little Fire is only a beautiful, bilingual depiction of fire in its various forms. There is no real plot to the story. The only “character” in the book is the fire itself. This lack of plot of characters is somewhat disappointing.

Conclusion

Fuego, Fueguito / Fire, Little Fire could be a great book to pull for elementary students interested in Spanish or English bilingualism. This book could also be a great introduction in a young earth science class to describe the elements and places where fire can be seen. The depictions of fire in Fuego, Fueguito / Fire, Little Fire are fantastic for young readers interested in illustrations of nature, specifically fire.

Citation

Argueta, J., & Ugalde, F. (2019). Fuego, fueguito. (M. Maillet, Trans.). Piñata Books, an imprint of Arte Público Press.