Synopsis
Chato, the coolest cat in East L.A., couldn't be happier when a family of mice move into the barrio. When Chato gets out the pots and pans to prepare a feast in honor of their new neighbors, he gets more than he can handle with the surprise guest the mice bring along. An ALA Notable Book. Full color.
Publishers Weekly
Soto (Too Many Tamales) commands a poet's gift for defining characters quickly, densely and, in this case, with hilariously choice words. Paired with Guevara's (The Boardwalk Princess) wickedly funny, urban paints, Soto's story of Chato, a cool, ``low-riding cat'' of East Los Angeles, is a scream. Chato and his friend Novio Boy plan a dinner for (and, they hope, of) the new mice next door. But the mice bring a surprise guest named Chorizo (sausage), who turns out to be a truly low-riding dachshund. Foiled, the cats resign themselves to mouseless fajitas. It's a basic enough tale, but close to brilliant in its execution. Guevara's cats are delicious send-ups of barrio characters, and Soto's words glisten with wit: ``We brought Chorizo,' Mami mouse called./ Sausage! Chato and Novio Boy danced, and with clean paws they gave each other a `low-four.'" Salud to this magical pairing of talents. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)