When a girl travels with her papa to his homeland for the first time, she's excited and — as an English speaker — a bit worried about knowing only a little Spanish. How will she make herself understood with her uncles (tíos), aunts (primos), and other extended family?
Full of the vibrant, lively art of author and illustrator Jacqueline Alcántara, this book for readers ages four to eight sparkles with the excitement of discovery: new family, new foods, new words, and the overcoming of anxiety within a welcoming environment. The illustrations include sprinklings of unfamiliar Spanish words that can be understood only in context: for instance, when the girl rides in a pick-up truck past roadside fruits, we see the words piñas, mamones, lichis, and sandias, as if tossed into mid-air by a vendor. So, alongside occasional translations from the girls' father, we pick up some new vocabulary in the same way as any visitor to a foreign country would.
The size and embrace of this family is simply marvelous. One aunt the girl meets makes her father laugh so hard that, even though the girl doesn't understand the jokes, she laughs too "because laughter is contagious." The whole family seems to anticipate her needs and wishes even before she has a chance to find words for them, as when she has a grumbling stomach and her abuela immediately gives her a warm tortilla.
The overall message is that where there is love, there is understanding. So when she calls out "¡Nos vemos, familia!" as she reaches the end of her trip, the girl knows "that means we all hope to see each other again soon."
