Pat Mora

"A little mouse’s foreign-language skills save his family from a cat in this mother-daughter debut…Mrs. Canta speaks Cricket, Spider and Moth, as well as several human languages, so when the youngest, Chico Canta, echoes her “Dulces sueños, sweet dreams,” she exclaims “Bilingual” in approval…Carling’s illustrations capture the well-told story’s sweetly spirited tone, with views of tiny mice in colorful costume scampering about and away from a much larger but obviously young ginger kitten…Food for thought for monolingual mouselings—not to mention their parents and teachers."—Kirkus Reviews

"The Cantas, who live in an old theater, love the performing arts and are proud of being bilingual. In fact, Mrs. Canta speaks Spanish, English, Italian, Cricket, Spider, and Moth. After taking her dozen little mice (niños) to see The Three Little Pigs, they prepare to put on their own play. However, her littlest mouse, Chico Canta, is not always where he is supposed to be, and he has an important role in the performance. In the end, he cleverly saves them from Little Gato-Gato. The illustrations, done in watercolor and mixed media, are colorful and fun to look at against the crisp white backgrounds. The animals’ expressions make them endearing to readers. The text is fairly lengthy, making it more suitable for one-on-one reading rather than group sharing. The story celebrates bilingualism and shows how having dual (or multilingual) language skills might just save the day. A good supplemental purchase, especially for libraries providing service to children in bilingual or immersion programs."—School Library Journal

"Chico Canta, the youngest of 12 mouse siblings, saves the day thanks to his ability to “speak” Dog, proving just how important being multilingual can be. The [mother]-daughter team of Mora and Martinez adapt their story from a Mexican folktale, and Carling’s mixed-media paintings create a cozy Latin American environment for Chico’s family, which lives and performs in an old theater. Despite threats from Little Gato-Gato the cat and Chico’s overall distractibility, the Cantas’ performances go off without a hitch. Spanish and Italian words are scattered throughout, giving readers a chance to pick up new words themselves."—Publishers Weekly

"Based on a Mexican American folktale, this entertaining cat-and-mouse story features Little Chico, the youngest of 12 offspring in the Canta mouse family. The Cantas live in a theater, surrounded by the sounds of actors, an orchestra, and audiences. As his family prepares to put on a play, Chico is selected to act as the sun, perched high above the stage. Little Gato-Gato, an orange tabby, also lives in the theater and threatens to put an end to the production and the actors. It is tiny Chico who saves the day by using his “bilingual” talent to frighten the cat away. Spanish words and phrases are interspersed throughout the dialogue, as Mrs. Canta believes in the importance of speaking multiple languages."—Booklist

"Pat Mora adds to her extensive body of work, this time with her daughter as co-author. Inspired by a Mexican American folktale, this book relates the story of a theater-loving mouse family while espousing the joys and benefits of being multilingual. Chico Canta is the youngest in a large family, yet manages to save their production of The Three Little Pigs from ruin by Little Gato-Gato, the resident theater cat. Carling’s watercolor and mixed media illustrations add to the playful tone of the story. The bright colors, reminiscent of the folk art of Carling’s native Guatemala, suggest a Latin American setting. This story is a celebration of diversity that invites audience participation and has great potential as a readers’ theater piece for the younger set."—Library Media Connection

"Award winning author Pat Mora teamed up with her daughter Libby Martinez and illustrator Amelia Lau Carling to produce this lovely picture book that will delight all ages of readers. Based on a bilingual joke from Mexican American folklore, this is the story of Chico Canta, the youngest in a family of twelve mice, who live with their parents and community in a theatre. The mice pride themselves on their multilingualism, speaking English, Spanish, Italian, Moth, Cricket, and Firefly. Young Chico learns to speak Dog and saves their play and the day when a cat interrupts their new production. Mora and Martinez tell the story with charm and ease; Carling’s illustrations are bright and appealing, with just enough detail to captivate young audiences. The story makes bilingualism equally appealing, offering the message of language education with subtlety and humor. This is a truly wonderful new picturebook."—Bookbird