What Are You Doing?

A picture book that captures a child’s discovery of the power of reading.

Before he leaves for his first day of school, Chepito runs outside to play. He comes across all kinds of people in his neighborhood who are reading. “Why, why, why?” he sings, and they each have a different answer for him, whether it’s a man reading a newspaper, a young girl enjoying a comic, a couple of tourists consulting a guidebook or an archeologist studying hieroglyphics. Later that day, Chepito discovers the fun of reading for himself, and he even brings home a book to share with his little sister.

Elisa Amado has written a perfect introduction to the pleasures and uses of the written word. Set in a delightfully retro world by illustrator Manuel Monroy, this book is a true celebration of reading.