Juana & Lucas, written and illustrated by Juana Medina. Good for Lower Elementary ages.

Juana (with her dog Lucas – her beloved "furry amigo") narrates her daily life in Bogota, Colombia, with lots of humor and anecdotes about experiences children everywhere can relate to – at school, in her family, and around her neighborhood. She is motivated to learn English well (even though it is not fun – "nada de fun"!) because her grandfather has promised to take her to Spaceland in Florida where she can talk to Astroman!

This is one of those special books that is both a great story and a book that promotes something positive, in this case multicultural awareness. After her Florida trip Juana says she wants to "keep on traveling" because "I've been able to have fun with a lot of new people and make a lot of new friends. And who wouldn't like for that to happen all around the world?"