Floramel and Esteban — Emilie Buchwald

Well-suited for young readers who hover between beginning and intermediate books, this chapter book is about Floramel, a very lonely and bored cow. Rafie, the boy who milks her once a day, is her only company. He sings her calypso songs and talks to her in the morning before he goes off to work in the fish market. While Rafie is away, Floramel tries to sing the calypso songs, but she can't make the same sounds. But excitement comes when a flock of cattle egrets arrives. The egrets leave Lazy Esteban behind to keep Floramel company and relieve her of the horrid insects on her body. With the help of Esteban and a handful of conch shells, Floramel learns how to make her own calypso music and how she might surprise Rafie with it.This story, along with Charles Robinson's charming illustrations, is an excellent way to show the symbiotic relationships between animals. As an added bonus, Floramel and Esteban comes with its own version of the song Calypso Cow, with which children can play and sing along.