Reina Ramos Meets a BIG Puppy

by Emma Otheguy, Andrés Landazábal (Illustrator)

Overview

A CCBC 2024 Choices for the Books for Beginning Readers category!

In Reina Ramos Meets a BIG Puppy, Reina is embarrassed to admit she is afraid of a very big dog. This Level Two I Can Read story is perfect for social emotional learning!

Reina Ramos is the creation of Emma Otheguy, a children’s author who writes about Latin identity. The Reina I Can Read stories have engaging illustrations from Andrés Landazabal. 

Reina and her friend, Lila, practice gymnastics on Saturdays. It’s Reina’s favorite part of the week. But when Lila gets a puppy, Reina has to practice gymnastics by herself. Also, Lila’s dog is HUGE and Reina is afraid to admit to her friend that she is scared. What can Reina do?

Reina Ramos Meets a BIG Puppy is a Level Two I Can Read book, geared for kids who read on their own but still need a little help. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the engaging stories, longer sentences, and language play of Level Two books are proven to help kids take their next steps toward reading success. This story is a Guided Reading Level (GRL) K. Reina Ramos Meets a BIG Puppy contains several Spanish words and a glossary. 

Acclaim for the first Reina Ramos I Can Read: Kirkus Best Book List for Early Readers 2022 and Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best List 2022

Also available in Spanish: Reina Ramos conoce un cachorro ENORME.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063223158
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/30/2023
Series:	I Can Read Book 2 Series
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Emma Otheguy writes children’s books about Latine identity and Latin American history and literature. She is the author of Martí’s Song for Freedom, Martina Has Too Many Tías, and Sofía Acosta Makes a Scene. She coauthored, with Adam Gidwitz, The Unicorn Rescue Society: The Madre de Aguas of Cuba. She holds a PhD in history from New York University and lives in New York City. Visit her at emmaotheguy.com.

Andrés Landazábal is an illustrator and art director based in Colombia. His work has appeared in film, television, and print. Andrés’s love for drawing and painting was instilled at a young age by reading classic illustrated children’s books. Visit him at andreslandazabal.squarespace.com.

Editorial Reviews

05/01/2023

PreS-Gr 2—Reina loves Saturdays with her friend Lila in the park, where they practice gymnastics. While initially excited to hear Lila is getting a dog, Reina is alarmed when she meets him, proclaiming, "I run far away from Chico, the biggest dog ever." Reina insists she is not afraid of Chico, even as she avoids him. Mounting tension between the two girls is finally resolved when they each admit a potentially embarrassing fear: Reina is afraid of big dogs, and Lila is afraid of cartwheels. The girls agree: "let's say no pressure." Reina becomes comfortable with Chico at a distance, particularly as an audience to gymnastics, and Lila focuses on low-to-the-ground forward rolls. The fears of the two girls are incredibly relatable for young readers, as is Reina's initial denial of her fear and its manifestation in feelings of avoidance and jealousy. The fact that these fears are acknowledged without any attempt to "fix" or "get over" them is highly validating for children. The text is suitably challenging for intermediate early readers, with length per page and complexity increasing slightly throughout. Frequent dialogue will encourage familiarity with its typical punctuation and patterns. Four Spanish words used by Lila, Reina, and her mother are listed with translations in a glossary. The text is enhanced with colorful and emotive illustrations. Reina has light brown skin, Lila is Black, and other characters are portrayed with a variety of skin tones. VERDICT Broad appeal and an engaging emotional journey make this an excellent addition to any early reader collection. Recommended for first purchase.—Elizabeth Lovsin

School Library Journal

2023-03-14
Spunky Latine protagonist Reina Ramos is back, and this time she has a big furry problem.

Reina and her friend Lila love to practice gymnastics at the park, and they both adore their neighbor Ms. Carol’s tiny and adorable dog, Gala. Later, at school, Lila shares the news that she’ll be getting her own dog soon, and Reina can’t wait to meet the new pup. Reina is startled to discover, however, that Lila’s new dog isn’t small like Ms. Carol’s—Chico is huge, with a loud bark and sharp teeth. Reina avoids Chico—and Lila—as much as possible and focuses instead on perfecting her cartwheel, though it’s lonely without her friend. No longer able to hide her fear from Lila, Reina admits she’s uneasy around Lila’s big dog, and the two have a heart-to-heart. Lila is understanding and supportive of her friend, and the girls are able to happily resume their carefree park gymnastics play with a well-behaved Chico as their audience. Accompanied by charming illustrations of big-eyed, expressive characters, this is a simple yet encouraging tale with a wonderful message about friendship and fears. Easy-to-decode sentences with potentially new vocabulary words, as well as a handful of unitalicized Spanish words sprinkled in, are ideal for developing readers. Reina and her mom have brown skin and curly brown hair; Lila and her dad present Black.

A sweet friendship story that reassures kids that it’s OK to be scared. (Spanish glossary) (Early reader. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews

Broad appeal and an engaging emotional journey make this an excellent addition to any early reader collection. Recommended for first purchase. — School Library Journal

From the Publisher