Olivia Abtahi (Perfectly Parvin) and Monica Arnaldo's first picture book collaboration, The Interpreter, is an earnest and endearing depiction of a child who becomes overwhelmed while serving as translator for her Spanish-speaking parents.
While some kids have only one job--"to be a kid"--Cecilia has two: in addition to school and soccer, she acts as interpreter for her Spanish-speaking parents. Cecilia goes with her caretakers to all sorts of "grown-up places" and assists with appointments, making small talk with other parents, and translating phone calls and websites. Cecilia works so much "overtime," she's exhausted!
Abtahi delivers a clever, straight-from-the-heart story about the emotional and physical toll Cecilia experiences. Arnaldo (Mr. S.) employs dynamic watercolor and pencil crayon art to emphasize Cecilia's two distinct roles, illustrating the girl "working" in an oversized suit and showing a frenzy of activity by overlapping and blending colored speech bubbles (blue for English, orange for Spanish). This bilingual narrative is an excellent, resonant picture book for kids and caretakers alike. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author