This Spanish/English alphabet book explores the creatures and features of the Cloud Forest, which is the natural habitat of the olinguito. The back of the book includes short snippets about the discovery of the olinguito, the Cloud Forest, and what went into the illustrations, as well as a glossary of words. This book could be really great to talk about the habitats and ecosystems that animals live in. Students could identify features like geographical location, plants, water, climate, and other animals that make up the habitat of the olinguito. ( )

This bilingual picture book teaches young readers about the exceptional creatures of the cloud forest and would work exceptionally well for a classroom science lesson or for a bilingual class. The book helps students to learn about the amazing plants and animals of a distinct ecosystem, and it is filled with "luminous illustrations and a lyrical text," as it moves through the alphabet from letter "A" to letter "Z." The book also contains a glossary of words at the end that help students to learn more about the plants and animals of the cloud forest, along with their scientific names, and it includes the Spanish pronunciation for each word. The book also contains a resource list, with books, articles, and web sites for further information. Additionally, the book contains end pages discussing of the discovery of the olinguito (a small forest carnivore, somewhat resembling a raccoon), the cloud forest itself, and the book's illustrations. This book truly has it all: art and science come together in a beautifully crafted children's picture book, and the book also helps young students to learn the alphabet and to make word associations with particular concepts.

Lovely drawings with rich bilingual vocabulary describing the rainforest and its animals. ( )

Teachers looking for a fabulous book to supplement your Earth day or Rain Forest curriculum? This is it! Beautiful language, engaging illustrations, extensive backmatter and glossary. Your students just might fall in love with the elusive Olinguito. Text is in Spanish & English. ( )

Includes descriptive narratives on the Discovery of the Olinguito, The Cloud Forest and The Illustrations. Also includes ways readers can become explorers within the pages of the book as well as through online activities. The book also includes a detailed Glossary of scientific names of plants and animals in the cloud forest, complete with illustrations of each one, a list of More Helpful Words, and a detailed list of the Author’s Sources.

This amazingly detailed, well-researched and beautifully illustrated bilingual picture book for older and younger readers is more than an A to Z book of plants and animals found in the Ecuadorian Andes cloud forest. Used in conjunction with the very detailed Glossary, each page unveils unique and varied life forms found in this fascinating cloud forest.

Readers will learn about unusual creatures such as the tanager, quetzal, barbet and, of course, the olinguito. Not to be outdone, reading about vegetation with interesting sounding names like the Bomarea flower, passiflora, wax palm and epiphytes will also pique their curiosity. Each page contains rich stores of knowledge waiting to be explored. Each of the more than 40 plants and animals in the book have a story to tell, and can easily become extensive research projects for its elementary and middle school readers.

Well known author and illustrator Lulu Delacre has outdone herself with her latest book. I expect “Olinguito, from A to Z! /Olinguito, de la A a la Z!” will create quite a stir at next year’s American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards. I consider it a candidate for the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award, as well as for the Pura Belpré Author Award. Remember that you read it first here!

Highly recommended for ages 7-14.

Book review blog link: https://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.com/2016/03/20/olinguito-from-a-to-z-olingu... ( )