Winner 2001 "Reading with Energy" Hispanic Children's Book Award and Finalist, Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award When Uncle Chente sends a postcard saying that he will visit on the Fourth of July, the Cardenas family happily awaits his arrival. Just before Uncle Chente's truck pulls onto their street, mother nature threatens to rain out all their summer fun. But, the family soon discovers that it takes more than a summer thunderstorm to ruin a beautiful day of fun-filled stories and time spent together. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

K-Gr 2-Uncle Chente drives a big truck and is often out of town. When he sends a card announcing that he will be visiting the C rdenas family on the Fourth of July, they are thrilled. A backyard barbecue and fireworks viewing are planned. When a huge rainstorm and power outage squash the original agenda, the relatives find a different way to celebrate. This quiet book shows a real delight in family. The texts create enough mild tension to keep readers engaged. Lovely, soft, colored-pencil drawings executed with a cross-hatching technique give a Seurat-like effect, and the use of light gives a sense of being caught in a great storm. Pair this with Mary Sue Galindo's Icy Watermelon/Sand'a fr'a (Pi-ata, 2000) for a fun family storytime. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information