CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 1997)
Even though his grandfather can no longer speak or smile, Emilio can sense Abuelo's pleasure at the sight of the red admiral butterflies that fly into their yard. Every summer afternoon Emilio wheels Abuelo outside so they can watch them together. When the weather cools and the butterflies disappear, Emilio brings home a library book so he can tell Abuelo more about red admirals: how they hibernate in the winter but will return in the spring, and how they are attracted to bright white surfaces, like the family's garage. Virginia Kroll's warm, charming story depicts a rich relationship between a young boy and his grandfather in the context of a loving Latino family, all magnificently illustrated by Gerardo Suzán. The vibrant, stylized paintings aptly suggest magical realism and show the bond between Emilio and Abuelo with a joyous sense of celebration. At the same time they reveal that behind Abuelo's silence is a lively, active mind that soars with imagination and love. CCBC categories: Picture Books. 1997, Boyds Mills, 32 pages, $15.95. Ages 5-8.

Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 1997 (Vol. 51, No. 1))
Abuelo has been in a wheelchair since an unspecified illness, but Emilio wheels him outside every warm day. The boy reads to his grandfather, and they watch the butterflies together. Neither Emilio's Mama or Papa believe that Abuelo listens to, understands, and even communicates with Emilio, but he does. It is Emilio who finds the book that identifies the butterflies, and it is Emilio who convinces his parents that his grandfather is still aware and conscious of what is going on around him. Bright, saturated colors and Peter Max-ish compositions and elements (floating butterflies, flowers, hearts, etc.) are the hallmark of these illustrations. The graphics are very poster-like, but the use of watercolors, acrylics, and salt give the paintings a rougher, more interesting textural depth than the smooth, almost glossy finish acrylic paintings sometimes have. Kroll's text is touching but crisp as she skillfully balances on the line between sweet and saccharine. Emilio wears his heart out in the open, if not literally on his sleeve. In fact, this whole sentimental story is wearing its heart out in the open, as the boy and his grandfather connect to each other and then to the rest of the world over a group of red admirals, the brown, red and white butterflies that sun themselves on the white garage door. R--Recommended. (c) Copyright 1997, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 1997, Boyds Mills, 32p, $15.95. Ages 5-8 yrs.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, 1997)
Emilio loves to wheel his 'abuelo', or grandfather, outside to watch the red admiral butterflies that are attracted to their white garage door. When Emilio comes home from school one day to find the garage painted blue, he convinces his parents to whitewash the butterflies' haven. Surrealistic watercolor, acrylic, and salt illustrations comprise formal geometric figures and add a fantastic element to the story. Category: Fiction. 1997, Boyds, 32pp.. Ages 5 to 9. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.