If Your Babysitter Is a Bruja

PreS-Gr 2--A young girl's imagination turns her experience with a new babysitter into something fun and spooky in this bilingual picture book. Halloween approaches, and a young girl gives advice to readers on what to look out for if they're spending a night with a new babysitter. She might arrive with a spooky dress and sombrero, she might cackle and throw you in her bubbling cauldron. As the little girl runs from the witch, readers will enjoy seeing the various activities they both enjoy and the way the little girl's imagination transforms them, from playing outside to taking a bath, to having a late night snack. As the night comes to an end, the little girl has enjoyed herself tremendously. The fun illustrations are a mix of spooky Halloween colors and bright vibrant shades, and the lyrical text with Spanish words and phrases sprinkled throughout make this a perfect choice for all occasions. VERDICT A fun addition to picture book collections for children, and a perfect choice for October reads.--Selenia Paz

As Halloween approaches, an evening with a new babysitter becomes a high-energy adventure in Siqueria’s seasonal story, which incorporates Spanish phrases. Though the sitter rolls up on a bicycle, the book’s second-person narrator sees things with holiday-colored glasses: “If she zooms in on a broom, black sombrero on her head, cackling like a crow... ¡¡CORRE! RUN!” Vibrant vignettes center the child and possibly-bruja babysitter, both portrayed with tan skin, Freitas depicts the action: the backyard jungle gym becomes a castle under an inky black sky dotted with ghost decorations, while bath time is described as involving “a bubbling cauldron with starving COCODRILOS!!!” As the child comes around on the sitter, final scenes sustain the upbeat tone. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)

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