Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This emotionally layered counting book celebrates an extended Latinx family's Sunday tradition: gathering together for menudo. In English and Spanish, spare text counts from uno to quince while the family joyfully assembles ("Cuatro/ Four tías laughing at abuelito Jorge's jokes"), and the children set the table and sneak treats. Things grind to a halt when a family dog causes abuelito Esteban to drop the large pot of menudo. But as the counting starts again at uno ("ONE DEEP BREATH"), creating a fitting somatic beat, the family resets and begins to prepare a new meal. Meza's digital colors under pencil and charcoal lines add texture and depth to Águila's numerically driven narrative about a family experiencing life's ups and downs together. A Spanish glossary and author's note conclude. Ages 3--7. (Aug.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--A delightful family story that also serves as bilingual counting book. "Uno cozy casita" and "Two grinning abuelitos" welcome readers and arriving family members to a Sunday gathering for food, fun, and festivities. Mixing English and Spanish with a generous serving of visual hilarity and context clues, the narrative invites readers into the family's preparation for the meal while enjoying the company of kids, dogs, and adults as they count their way in both languages. Arriving at the numerical pinnacle of 15/quince, the family is left with a smashed bowl and spilled soup. Restarting at numero uno, the family takes a collective deep breath, and the meal is created anew. Fourteen stars twinkle as the family says goodnight to the two loving grandfathers and kisses and hugs are shared all around. Back matter includes a Spanish glossary, tips for hosting a Menudo Sunday, and a black-and-white "photograph" of the grandfathers decades earlier in their relationship. The illustrations, made with pencil and charcoal linework over digital colors, have warm tones that effectively capture the emotions in the story while providing enough detail for the text to be clear whether Spanish is understood or not. VERDICT The abuelitos are a loving couple who warmly welcome their family to a celebration of love and connection; the counting and addition of well-chosen and highly supported Spanish is a bonus. Highly recommended.--John Scott
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Pull up a chair, grab a bowl of menudo, and join in this beloved family tradition. As this counting book opens, "two grinning abuelitos" gather on the paved patio of "one cozy casita" as they get ready to welcome a family of tías and primos for Sunday dinner. While the cousins play, the grown-ups catch up. Later, everyone works together, setting the table, preparing the menudo (a Mexican tripe stew), and counting along the way ("cinco / five parajitos singing sweetly in the fruit trees," "ocho / eight girasoles in a vase"). But oh no! Just as they're about to reach "quince" (the number 15), disaster strikes, and the bowl of menudo falls to the floor. Time to start all over again back at "uno," with "one deep breath." Águila mixes in Spanish words as she whips up a delicious story of family and food. Though some of these phrases sound a bit clunky when read aloud, they aren't a major hindrance to understanding or enjoyment. Meza's illustrations are especially notable for their strong sense of place; small touches, such as the mismatched chairs and vibrantly painted ofrenda (a Día de los Muertos altar), make this tale truly feel like Sunday with los abuelos in a Mexican American home. As warm and welcoming as menudo con la familia. (glossary, tips for hosting your own menudo Sunday, author's note)(Picture book. 2-5) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
