Review by Booklist Review
PreS. I love you once, I love you twice. / I love you more than beans or rice. / I love you more than rain or sun. / Te amo, bebe, little one. The cheerful chant is repeated with just small changes as an infant grows into a toddler, and bright, clear watercolors show mother and child together as she bathes him, cuddles him, swirls him around to the music of mariachis at the fair, and, finally, rocks him on a winter night beneath la luna. At the end of the book, the boy turns one year old, and in the climactic picture he is big enough to walk alone out the door. The setting is shown as the seasons change: there's a springtime morn, with baby in bed, summertime splashing at the beach, and more. The rhythmic words and the bond between parent and child make this a great first book for babies everywhere. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A loving depiction of a child's first year of life, Te Amo Bebe, Little One by Lisa Wheeler, illus. by Maribel Suarez, incorporates a scattering of Spanish language and Mexican influence. Cheery watercolor scenes of mother and child at the beach, at the country fair listening as mariachis play or in a rocking chair on a tropical winter night ("beneath la luna, smiling bright") accompany an affectionate refrain (the third line changes to fit the scene): "I love you once. I love you twice./ I love your more than beans and rice./ I love you more than rain or sun,/ Te amo bebe, little one." (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-In this colorful picture book, lilting verses describe a baby's first year of life. As the seasons change, the infant and mother are shown engaging in a variety of activities including a trip to the beach, dancing to fiesta music at the country fair, and enjoying a winter's night beneath "la luna." The gentle refrain states: "I love you once. I love you twice./I love you more than beans and rice." Finally, the child is one year old, and it's time for a birthday party: "No cakes,/no pies,/no punch with ice-/that baby wanted beans and rice!" Spanish words are smoothly incorporated into the text. The illustrations are done in bright, bold colors and reflect the infant's gradual physical growth. The mother and child are shown with smiles on their faces, reflecting their love and enjoyment of one another's company. This is a good choice for intimate sharing with little ones.-Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A mother describes her infant's growth, regularly returning to a refrain beginning ""I love you once. I love you twice. / I love you more than beans and rice."" The snippet of Spanish and the Mexican motifs (mariachi players, a birthday pinata) elevate the book above the usual ode to Baby, and Suarez's watercolors have a cartoonlike rather than sentimental quality. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A mother's love for her baby is beautifully expressed in Wheeler's lyrical narrative with a Spanish influence. Seasons pass, and a child transforms from a bouncy brown-eyed babe in a crib to a cheerful, chubby baby cooing in the ocean and finally to a one-year-old toddling out the door to celebrate his birthday. As baby grows, a variation of mother's love song is repeated throughout: "I love you once, I love you twice. I love you more than beans and rice. I love you more than rain or sun, te amo, bebÉ, little one." Suárez's colorful pencil-and-watercolor illustrations perfectly capture moments both tender and humorous, with an adorably happy baby experiencing the wonders of nature, song, and movement. A highly enjoyable tribute to mothers and babies everywhere. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
