Elizabeth Young (Children's Literature)
This Nacho is not the one you eat, but a rare, resplendent bird--a pitacoche, who lands on a branch of a mesquite tree near the adobe of the Mission San Juan Capistrano. Nacho falls in love with Lolita, a drab colored swallow on her return to the Mission. The pitacoche's colorful feathers transform everything they touch, but only when given away. Once a feather is given, a grey one grows in its place, as is the destiny of the bird. Forgetting the swallows annual migration, Nacho is forlorn when the time comes that Lolita must leave. How he wishes she could stay, or he could go with her. If she stays, she will freeze. He is too big to fly far. After several failed attempts to fly, Nacho realizes their friendship was not meant to be, but they will meet again in their dreams. The following spring, Nacho realizes he must make sure he will see Lolita again, dropping his feathers--exploding into gloriously hued flowers filling the rivers to overflowing, fruitful orange trees--San Juan Capistrano was awash in magnificent color, stunning enough for anyone to find their way back! Nacho waited in the familiar mesquite, ever hopeful his love would find him again, even without his most magnificent plumage. Love always finds a way and the love birds are reunited once again, amid a symphony of swallows. The story is told on a background of colored pencil illustrations, brilliantly contrasting Nacho's stunning feathers with the drab scenery and the muted colored swallows. A love story for all, a folktale rich in acceptance and beauty. 2005, Scholastic Press, $16.99. Ages 4 to 8.

Emily Atkins (Children's Literature)
In this story of unlikely love set in a small, barren pueblo in the San Juan Valley of Mexico, Nacho, a mythical bird called a pitacoche, possesses magical feathers that represent all the colors of the world. The only one of his kind, he is too big to fly long distances and therefore bound to the land. Lolita is a small, strong swallow with a large family. When the swallows stop to nest in Nacho's pueblo, he meets Lolita and they fall in love. He helps her build her nest, guard her eggs, and raise her chicks. But when it comes time for Lolita and the other swallows to migrate, Nacho can't go with them. Lolita promises to return, but as time passes, the water in the pueblo dries up. Because he knows the swallows won't be able to roost there the next year, he sacrifices all of his magical feathers to turn the wasteland into a lush, colorful garden to attract their attention. This beautifully written story incorporates many Spanish words in a way that makes their meanings clear to young readers. The illustrations start out drab, with the exception of Nacho, and gradually grow more colorful as the story progresses toward its delightful, vibrant conclusion. 2005, Scholastic Press, $16.99. Ages 4 to 8.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 19))
Ryan weaves a story remembered from childhood, some folktale research and a vibrant dose of imagination into a lovely tale of magic and longing. In the valley of San Juan in California, Nacho, a pitacoche bird with all "the colors of the world in his feathers," sings at sunset in the churchyard, which is dry and grey. However, he enjoys the company of the people awaiting the return of the swallows on St. Joseph's day. When he offers a little swallow named Lolita one of his blue feathers, it becomes a hibiscus, and Nacho doesn't even mind that a grey feather grows back in its place. But autumn comes, Lolita must fly south and Nacho is too big a bird for that much flying. Before the next St. Joseph's feast, Nacho scatters his feathers everywhere and they turn to flowers, trees and blue rivers. The land becomes lush and Nacho learns that Lolita finds him splendid even without his colors. Rueda's colored-pencil images are exquisitely textured, from the rough bark of a tree to the brilliance of Nacho's feathers, as soft and richly hued as silk. A cheerful and tender paean to the transformative power of love. (author's note) 2005, Scholastic, 40p, $16.99. Category: Picture book. Ages 4 to 8. Starred Review. © 2005 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Allison Bernstein (Library Media Connection, January 2006)
Nacho is a beautifully colored pitacoche (a type of bird) who lands in the dullness of Capistrano. Nacho is not impressed by his new surroundings, but the townspeople are impressed by his bright appearance. The swallows are returning to Capistrano and Nacho is enthralled by their ability to fly long distances, to come and go as they please, and to stay together as a family. Nacho meets a swallow named Lolita and he falls in love. Unfortunately, the romance must come to an end when the swallows leave. Nacho wants to follow Lolita, but since he is too large to fly for very long, she devises a way for him to fly. The plan doesn't work and Nacho is left alone, as Lolita doesn't think she will return to Capistrano again. Nacho sacrifices his beautiful feathers, spreading them all over the land, as they color the landscape in order to lead Lolita back to him. Very loosely based on a Mexican folktale, this book is a well-written love story for all ages. The reader feels Nacho's pain when Lolita must leave and his disappointment that he cannot go with her. The beautiful colored pencil drawings help to emphasize Nacho's beauty among the blandness of Capistrano and the beauty he spreads around Capistrano to lead Lolita home. Recommended. 2005, Scholastic, 40pp., $16.99 hc. Ages 6 to 9.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2006)
Nacho, a pitacoche bird, comes to San Juan Capistrano and falls for Lolita, a swallow. Unable to migrate with the swallows, he makes a sacrifice to see his love again. Appropriate to the story, colored-pencil illustrations highlight the brilliance of Nacho's plumage. An author's note explains that the story is loosely based on a folktale. Category: Picture Books. 2005, Scholastic, 40pp, 16.99. Ages 4 to 9. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.