Número Uno

"In their small Mexican town, Socrates and Hercules are each convinced that he is the most important. Hercules is strong; Socrates is intelligent. When the villagers need a bridge, Socrates does the planning. But when they need help building, Hercules does the lifting and carrying. Both insist on being 'Numero uno.' To settle their argument, the villagers agree that the two must go away for three days so they can see who is needed the most. Hercules and Socrates continue to argue through the days and nights, even as they need both strength and intelligence to survive. When they return to the village, they find that both are needed there as well. What the village has not needed, however, is their arguing. There is a folk-like quality to the oil paint and graphite double-page visuals of landscape and village... The words of Spanish that add spice to the lighthearted tale are easily understood in context." -- Children's Literature