I give this five stars because I know my students and most children would absolutely love reading this book and I think that is half the battle. Not to mention the fact that this book is an excellent allegory for racial disparity and a great lesson on how to be good to others with whom you share major differences. Soto cleverly sets up a dynamic moral dilemma for Chato and Novio Boy who model the thought process of first wanting to give in to temptation and do the easy thing that they feel they deserve and then model the way to challenge these feelings in favor of the greater good. I like this a lot because it has layers. The dilemma is not a simple black and white or good/bad moral dilemma. One could argue that, well, the dogs on the cruise ship didn't really care about making it inclusive to everyone and they didn't seem to care that Chato and NB were having a lousy time so do the dogs deserve their help? Or one could argue that the dogs got what they deserved for partying too hard. I like that Soto sets it up in a way where one could justify doing the easy thing, because in life the kinds of challenges our students will face will not be simple and often times the easy thing will be justifiable but not necessarily right. The question boils down to: Do we owe each other unconditional kindness? Soto shows a world where the answer is yes.

The way Hispanic culture is represented and celebrated is another aspect of this book that I enjoyed and think kids will really enjoy, especially Hispanic kids who will feel represented and celebrated in this book. Soto utilizes Spanish slang and includes a glossary, which I love. Great opportunity for kids to learn new words in a different language and have a familiarizing experience they may otherwise not get to have. ( )

In my opinion this is a great book. I liked this book for a few reasons. First, the moral of the story is important for everyone to understand, whether you want to do something or not, if it is the right thing to do, you should do it. Second, the main characters are cats on a dog ship and its ironic but funny. Third, the story is cute. The main idea of the story is that two cats accidentally got on a dog cruise, they didn't have much fun and they wanted to leave. They caused the dogs to get sick so they got sent to find help. When they were going they found the cat cruise they were suppose to be on, but instead of forgetting about the sick dogs and going to have fun with the cats they chose to go find the pig island so they could get help. You should always do what's right. This is a good book for teaching the lesson of right from wrong. ( )

I loved how the author used a mix of English and Spanish words in a way that children would understand meaning. The glossary in the back of the book is helpful for readers. I loved the illustrations because the cats were "cool" and modern in clothing and expression. This book could be used to introduce Spanish to young readers while enjoying Chato staying true to his word by putting others before his wants.

The book Chato Goes Cruisin’ by Gary Soto is an interesting take on fitting in somewhere you may feel as though you do not belong. The two main characters in this story are cats and they win a free cruise. They find out when they reach the dock that the cruise is made up only dogs and they are the only two cats. The two main characters have to figure out how to fit in and how to help their new companions. The book is written in third person, but the additional speech bubbles offer an inside view of the characters’ minds.
I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a great multicultural text. When people come over from different countries they may feel like outsiders and as if they are the only ones. Similar to the main characters on the cruise ship. Since this book involves Spanish, it is specifically talking about people feeling different for speaking Spanish and not English. This story also includes Spanish within the text. The story includes primary text that tells the story and then speech bubbles in the illustrations to add to the story. They help the reader get more of an inside look on what the characters are thinking and feeling. This book also opens up discussion in the classroom about how people who are may be different could be struggling to feel accepted.

I liked this book for three reasons. First, I liked how the comic-style illustrations were added to the story. Each comic strip would be two to four pictures that would give the book comic relief. For example, the dogs on the cruise ship were howling to the moon, but Chato and Novio Boy, who are cats, said that howling to the moon was killing their throats. Second, the humor in this book was very witty and clever. For example, the cats went to the library on the cruise ship and only found books referencing popular stories of dogs, like Shiloh or The Incredible Adventure. Third, I liked how the author included Spanish words sporadically throughout the story. For example, Chato was eating on the cruise ship and said, “This comida is fuchi,” which means this food is funky, because there was only food for dogs (pg. 10). Also, there is a glossary in the back of the book that tells you what the italicized words means. The big idea of the story is to be brave, whether that be to help others in need or to branch out from your social norm. ( )