There are two sides to this book. Practical and Cultural. On the Cultural side this book is very good. It depicts a day in the life of going to the lake with a Hispanic family. Sonia Manzano (Who plays Maria on Sesame Street) Has the Hispanic culture down to a T. For a while there, with my being Hispanic, I thought Sonia lived in my family and I would be described in the book somewhere.

The Story is in the perspective of Iris. A Hispanic girl with nicknames for all of her family members. It details the adventure of her and her family going to the lake. They also bring the family dog "El Exigente" along. They get to the lake only to find the big sign that says No Dogs Allowed.

I am not going to spoil how they resolved this issue in the book but lets just say that the solution was creative.

Now practically, this book is a failure. Maybe it's the copy I have which is rather small. I would like to see if there is a bigger version, maybe hardcover, of this book. Why you ask? Because in the version I have the print was miniscule. Way too small for an early reader to read. In fact, I believe it to be a challenge for an adult to read it to their kids. Also, I found the picture to be uninteresting. The colors were bland and really there is nothing to capture a child's attention. Not even if this was a show and tell.

So, while it is interesting from the cultural point of view, the execution of the book as a whole as a children's book kind of failed. I will give it points for trying though.... ( )

This was a book we got out of the library for my toddler. It is apparently a semi-autobiographical award-winning story by Sonia Manzano (who plays 'Maria' in Sesame Street) and has been turned into a musical.

The story, narrated by seven year old Iris, is about an event that happened a long time ago when she was six, and her family decided to go for a picnic to the Enchanted State Park lake. Somehow, this turns into an expedition for the whole community, for which everyone packs just about everything. They all set off, have adventures along the way, and finally reach the lake - where they get a rude shock, and have to find a solution.

The characters are vivid and true to life, especially for a short children's story (don't we all have mums who pack enough food for a week when we're only going for a day trip?), and have wonderful nicknames - such as her sister, Shorty the Fortune-teller, who can tell the future by rolling her eyes (with typical tween-age exasperation) and El Exigente (the demanding / exacting one) the dog, who is very good at sleeping. The book is beautifully illustrated (pen and watercolour), conveying the sense of the bustling multicultural Bronx neighbourhood. There's a great sense of warmth and community spirit in this gentle tale of a girl and her dog and the wonderful day that everyone has. ( )

"No Dogs Allowed" was written by the voice of Maria from Sesame Street. The book is about a little girl, Iris, and her family who decide to take a day trip to the Enchanted Lake. Iris insists on bringing her dog El Exigente although her Fortune Teller sister Shorty tells her that it is a bad idea because he causes nothing but problems. The rest of the book records their adventure and mishaps on their trip. It is a fun book to read to all ages. It is important to include books involving all cultures and this is one that can be used to incorporate Hispanic Literature in to the classroom.

Cute story about a little girl, her family and her neighbors, who decide to take a trip to a state park. ( )