Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Zany mouse inventor tale spiced with Spanish.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Poco Loco is a cute raton (mouse) inventor of unusual devices, including a shower bed and a Waffle Iron-Weather Forecaster. When the other barnyard animals set out for a picnic, he warns them that mal tiempo (bad weather) is coming, but they think he's loco (crazy). When the wind whips up it carries Poco Loco into the sky with his paraguas (umbrella), and one by one all the other animals grab on as well. When it starts to rain, Poco Loco must flip on the helicopter function of his umbrella to save them.
Is It Any Good?
POCO LOCO is a zany adventure with cute characters by artist and TV animator J.R.Krause, a designer for The Simpsons, and his wife, Maria Chua, a bilingual psychiatric social worker. It includes a handy glossary of the Spanish words that are sprinkled throughout.
Poco Loco's wacky inventions are fun, and the colorful, stylized animals look and act funny. But the story is a bit thin and its climax is not too exciting. Still, kids will enjoy the humor and nonstop action, and they'll learn some Spanish words and animal names along the way.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about crazy inventors. Why do you think stories about them are so popular? Can you think of some others?
What's a crazy invention you can imagine?
See what kind of invention you can come up with using a few simple things you already have in your house, like cardboard, string, and aluminum foil.
Book Details
- Authors: J.R. Krause , Maria Chua
- Illustrator: R.J. Krause
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Cats, Dogs, and Mice , Horses and Farm Animals
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Amazon Children's Publishing
- Publication date: April 30, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Available on: Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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