Tamarindo

The Tamarindo Puppy

This is a collection of poems to be enjoyed by both English and Spanish readers alike. There is no need for dictionaries or any type of translation in order to enjoy this collection and comprehend the meaning behind the words. The book is written in both languages, �simply because that is the way people speak� (from the dustjacket description). The author creates poems which inspire and help readers appreciate the beauty of both languages. The friendly poetry creates in readers a sense of value towards perhaps an unknown culture and

inspires to learn about the diversities of these two ways of life. The collection consists thirteen poems, each with its corresponding illustration by Byron Barton. The opening poem, �The Tamarindo Puppy�, talks about a puppy who is no longer around, and the narrator wonders, �Did someone see him and take him home to play?...Does he like his new friends, muy lejos, far away?�
          Most of the poems are centered around everyday things such as kittens and butterflies, tea parties and visits to the bakery. Each poem is beautifully arranged with words in both English and Spanish and in some cases, the poem is written first entirely in one language, and then entirely in the other. We see this in the poem, �Yo-Tu�, in which a young girl is seeing her reflection in a mirror, and the poem is written similar to a reflection, with English on one side, and Spanish on the other. �You are you. Not me, but you...Tu eres tu, no yo, pero tu.� On several occasions, young readers will easily pick up new vocabulary words, due to the simple, yet ingenious way the author has arranged the text. One example of this is seen in the poem, �Nada�, where we learn that, �Nada is nothing, nothing at all. Trip on a nada, you will never fall.� Another example is seen in �Marisol� which says, �My friend�s name is Marisol. Mar is the sea. Sol is the sun.�
          This short collection of poems is deceivingly highly educational for both young readers as well as adults. It is impossible not to enjoy and learn from the poems.

Pomerantz, Charlotte. 1980. The Tamarindo Puppy. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 0
          688-80251-6.

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