Product Description

Noelle the Bulldog is back for another magically mysterious adventure! She's on a holiday visit with her family to the exotic Treasure Coast of Florida when she hears exciting news. There's a long-lost pirate ship full of treasure under the sand! Noelle can't wait to find it. On her high-spirited journey she befriends a crusty but lovable crab and other mysterious new animals. And, most importantly, she discovers the "real" treasure of the Treasure Coast!

Five-time Grammy^® Award-winning singer-songwriter and New York Times bestselling author Gloria Estefan lets Noelle bring plenty of friends to join in on the fun! Her lyrical and spirited verses are complemented by Michael Garland's vivid illustrations. This funny and warm story brims with life as Noelle learns that true treasures are often found in the least likely places.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #322347 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-01
• Released on: 2006-10-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1—With clunky logic and rhyme, Estefan creates a tale of a homely little bulldog's quest for treasure. After listening to her owner read about sunken Spanish galleons and a crown lost at sea, Noelle decides that she will find it during the family's vacation at the beach. Various creatures help her search, to no avail. The dog settles down for a nap and dreams about a turtle that reveals clues about the treasure's whereabouts. Noelle follows the instructions, which lead to a mound filled with newly hatched sea turtles. She protects the creatures from hungry predators and points them in the right direction. After they are safe, she digs up the lost crown. Though the author wants readers to recognize the turtles and their rescue as the true treasure, the inclusion of the crown's discovery dilutes the impact of the message. The colorful digital art is attractive but unmemorable. The CD featuring a bouncy song extolling the virtues of life around us as the real reward is the best part of this package.—Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

International superstar Gloria Estefan is one of the most successful crossover artists in the world. Among her many honors, she was the first Hispanic woman to be named BMI songwriter of the year, was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, and is an American Music Award Lifetime Achievement recipient. She was also awarded the Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor for her philanthropic work. She is the New York Times bestselling author of The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog. Gloria lives with her son Nayib, daughter Emily, and husband Emilio in Miami.

Gloria Estefan es una de las cantantes latinas mÁs exitosas del mundo entero. Fue la primera mujer hispana en ser nombrada mejor cantautora del aÑo por el sello BMI, fue la primera en entrar en el Songwriters Hall of Fame y la primera en recibir el American Music Award Lifetime Achievement. TambiÉn recibiÓ la medalla de honor de Ellis Island por parte del congreso estadounidense por sus obras de filantropÍa. Ella es la autora de Las MÁgicas y Misteriosas Aventuras de una Bulldog Llamada Noelle, cuya ediciÓn en inglÉs fue un best seller del New York Times.

Customer Reviews

Estefan's Second Book is Every Bit as Good as Her First Effort, With a Story That is Both Simple and Profound
Last year's first children's book by Gloria Estefan, "The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog," was both an instant bestseller and critically acclaimed. (It spent five weeks at the number two spot on the New York Times children's picture book bestseller list, and was awarded the Latino Book Award for best picture book in English.)

This year with "Noelle's Treasure Tale," Estefan has done it again. The singer-turned-author's second children's book debuted in the third position on the New York Times children's picture book bestseller list, and the requisite critical acclaim is sure to follow.

If interested in background information, please see my initial review of her first book.

This book is again aimed at beginning readers, aged 4 to 8 -- although it is a story anyone can appreciate. It has the usual exquisite illustrations of Noelle's adventures by illustrator Michael Garland.

All editions come with a bonus CD, in English and Spanish, of an original composition sung by Estefan: "See With Your Heart," which nicely compliments the book. Some versions also include two tracks (in English and Spanish) of Estefan reading her book. I would recommend the version with all four tracks, because it is such a delight to listen to the audio version while reading along with the text. One can hope that a precedent has been established and that the third installment of Noelle's adventures, promised by her publisher, Rayo, will have an original song and an English and Spanish "read aloud" by Estefan.

The nature of this story is such that to provide a synopis that does it justice is to reveal too much. It is based on historical accounts of Spanish gallons that vanished in hurricanes off what is now called the "Treasure Coast" of Florida. Estefan and family have a vacation beach house in the area, and she said in televised interviews that the stories about three to-this-day un-recovered ships that sank, full of enormous treasure, in hurricanes provided the inspiration for this book.

Bulldog Noelle and "the little girl" (no name is provided in the first two books) who owns her are the main protagonists of the story. Both head to the Treasure Coast on vacation to search for buried treasure. Suffice it to say that few adults will be surprised to discover that the true treasure in this parable is not material riches. Rather it is a celebration of life and the idea that everyone is somehow connected, and that if all creatures work together in the end everything will work out for the best: a comforting message for children and adults alike.

Estefan definitely does not write "down" to her young prospective readers. The book uses these words: gallons, doubloons, unravel, insensitive, undertow, convinced, memorize, incredible, mysterious, ravenous and intuition. Fortunately, the book is so well crafted that even a pre-schooler who is listening to his or her parents read the book will enjoy the story -- and they may well be unconsciously increasing their potential verbal SAT score as well.

This is the rare sequel that is as good as the original. Publisher Rayo promises the third (and, as far as is known, final) Noelle book in time for Christmas 2007. I can hardly wait.

adorable book, love the lessons and the rhymes
this is a great followup to Gloria's first book about lovable Noelle, a bulldog who finds her way and her value in the world. This book is one of my daughters favorites and she loves the bright colorful pictures. I think we will be reading it together for many years!

Gloria's Second Book is as Good or Better than the First!
Noelle's Treasure Tale is a wonderful little book! And the illustrations are glorious! What wonderful, bold colors - that's the best looking crab I've ever seen! There's also a CD included - See With Your Heart - a very nice song. I hope there is a third installment with another original song by Gloria. And if there is, I hope the CD will also include Gloria reading the book. That would be the icing on the cake!
Merry Christmas, Noelle!