Curious George: Trash into Treasure | Jorge el curioso: De basura a tesoro, written by H. A. Rey, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary:  This is an English and Spanish bilingual book.  The English text is in blue font and the Spanish text is below in black font.  Curious George is excited for Pretty City Day.  It’s a day to pick up trash and clean up their city. Curious George is on the hunt for litter. He comes across someone clearing out their apartment and George wants to keep a lot of what was thrown out for trash collection. He kept a lot of the items he found for himself. The Man in the Yellow Hat was not happy with all the things George brought home.  George brought an empty bag to the mayor and they all realized that some people’s trash could be someone else’s treasure. The book ends with an activity asking readers to think about collections and there are instructions on how to make a recycled bird feeder.
Straight Talk for Librarians:  Everyone loves Curious George!  This book is adapted from a TV show.  The language development with a familiar story will be beneficial for students learning either Spanish or English.  Perfect for any bilingual elementary library or classroom.  Schools with mostly English speakers will benefit from this book if they offer Spanish classes.  I am putting this book in my high school library because we have a lot of new Spanish language learners.  This is perfect for first year students learning Spanish.  They will be familiar with the characters and will appreciate both languages on the page.  Students will learn new vocabulary and practice their reading comprehension.