Children Books
When Mami suggests that Josefina give up her cherished sugary foods for Lent—a vow of 40 days and 40 nights—the young sweets lover initially balks at the idea. “I can’t give up sweets for that long!” School, of course, proves difficult to endure due to her nonobservant friends’ continued enjoyment of cookies, candies, and cupcakes. And all in front of Josefina! So Mami comes up with an idea: Josefina will help carry on the family tradition by learning how to make habichuelas con dulce (Josefina’s favorite dessert) for Easter.
Julia is not thrilled to be practicing dance at the cultural center after she’s dragged along by her brother Cheíto, who is adept at drumming on barriles to make music for the bomba dance. “Julia didn’t want to practice dancing. She preferred to play make believe. Julia loved to daydream about becoming an astronaut.” After she watches an older dancer and tries her own clumsy steps, Julia is ready to give up. But when she’s invited to participate in bombazo, an opportunity for dancers to perform solos as everybody sings, she finds her nervousness transformed to joy as she locks in with the main drum. “TAN, rang out the drum again, loud and clear. ‘Wow,’ Julia thought, ‘the drum is talking to me!’ ”
Joaquín and his mother are about to eat some freshly baked pan de muerto when a knock on the door interrupts them. A hungry-looking skeleton in a mariachi outfit is willing to exchange a song for a bite of their Day of the Dead bread.
After some misgivings, the boy and his mother sit back to enjoy the song—but they’ve forgotten the gaping door. Two more skeletons with accordions stroll in, then three guitarists, and soon the tabletop is covered with 15 performing skeletons eager for a taste of the special treat.
Illustrations for educational books
Self-published books
