Guest Book Review: Rooster/Gallo by Jorge Luján

Title: Rooster/Gallo

Author: Jorge Luján

Year published: 2004

Publisher: Groundwood Books/Libros Tigrillo

Number of pages: 24

Recommended age: 2+

Son Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Mom Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Reviewed by Featured Guest Reviewers: Leanna of All Done Monkey and her son Monkey

Summary (from Amazon):  In this mythical poem from talented children’s author Jorge Luján, it is the rooster who is the poet of the day. At dawn, his song draws forth the universe and gives way to the dance of beings and objects, all dreamily rendered in color by award-winning illustrator Manuel Monroy. This auspicious collaboration of author and illustrator results in a bilingual picture book at once simple enough to appeal to small children yet complex enough that adult readers can find joy in the verse and images over and over again.

MONKEY SAYS

Monkey’s Summary: Here’s chicken.  Has blanket, mouth.  Sun comes up.  Goes back down.

Monkey’s Favorite Part:  Rooster eat star.

Monkey’s Least Favorite Part: No trucks, trains, or dinosaurs

Monkey’s bottom line: Enjoys reading this book but does not request it.  When we read it, he will often request to read it again.

MOM SAYS:

What it’s about: This is a poem about the cycle of day and night, with the rooster as the prime mover behind the rising and setting of the sun.  When he pulls his blanket of clouds across the sky, the sun rises.  When he shakes the stars from his feathers, night falls.  And when he eats the night star, he blends into the sky to wait for another day.

What I liked and disliked about it: I love reading this book.  The bilingual text is so beautiful in both languages and has a very soothing cadence that makes it perfect for bedtime.  I love introducing my little Monkey to poetry and we have fun exploring the playful images.  My only wish is that he would enjoy reading it as much as I do!  I could read it over and over, but he usually only wants it once or twice before moving on to another book.

My bottom line:  I would recommend this book, especially for bedtime.  Its soothing rhythm and beautiful images make it perfect for easing that transition to quiet rest.

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