  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 12/01/2016 K-Gr 2—In the village of La Paz, everyone is constantly singing. So much happy noise eventually causes the townspeople to wish for a little peace and quiet. So they throw out the old mayor and bring in Don Pepe, who guarantees change. In a classic "be careful what you wish for" scenario, Don Pepe delivers on his word and successfully makes singing illegal. For seven years the village remains quiet, until along comes a saucy gallito, who happily crows aloud every morning. Angered, Don Pepe makes it his personal mission to silence the rooster once and for all. He takes away the rooster's food, family, and sunlight and even threatens death, but the gallito still crows, "Kee-kee-ree-KEE!" and eventually inspires the rest of La Paz to join him in his triumphant singing. Don Pepe leaves town, and the villagers return to their loud, joyful ways. Told with a storyteller's flair, the narrative reads like a folktale, while Yelchin's mixed-media illustrations are vibrant and perfectly suit the text. VERDICT A fun read-aloud for any library, especially ones looking for stories with Hispanic influence.—Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 02/01/2017 In the noisy village of La Paz, a cacophony of baying dogs, crooning mothers, humming engines, musicians, and singers make it hard to hear, hard to sleep, and even hard to think! So Mayor Don Pepe decrees: “No Loud Singing in Public, Por Favor.” Soon his restrictive laws cause the town to become silent as a tomb. Enter a cocksure rooster with a grandiose blue-and-green tail and an oversize coxcomb, who sings, “Kee-kee-ree-KEE!” A frustrated Don Pepe throws him in a cage and threatens to kill him, but the rooster refuses to stop singing, encouraging the townspeople to follow suit and drive the disgruntled mayor out of town. Yelchin’s colorful and humorous illustrations in mixed media explore folklore traditions replete with quirky whimsy: an oversize Don Pepe tears his hair and gnashes his teeth in frustration at the expressive villagers. Storyteller Deedy’s allegorical message reminds us that voices cannot be silenced, and that courageous people who crow out their truth give all of us the freedom to sing. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. Loading...
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