ALA Booklist

Wondrous hair that grows overnight into a treelike shape must be meant for something big, right? Young Dalia has an idea and soon is searching in the Cuban forest for wild tamarind, violets, and coontie leaves for her hairdo. Then she adds mud. Neighbors disapprove of Dalia's coiffure, but Mama is supportive least for one more day. Dalia shows her a surprise: all of the additions to her hair are the natural foods and habitats for local butterfly caterpillars, which hatch into glorious butterflies. The illustrations portray the Cuban countryside in vibrant golds, greens, reds, oranges, and blues and provide a lively heroine, whose actions will confound and delight in equal parts. The Spanish text sits alongside the English version, and at the book's conclusion, the author provides information about each plant mentioned in the text. She also gives recommendations for starting a butterfly garden at home. Vivid imagination and big hair make for an unusual story.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

One magical morning, Dalia awakes to find her hair has grown up toward the sky, "tall and thick as a Cuban royal palm tree." Throughout the day, to the shock of her neighbors, Dalia covers her wondrous hair with natural material from the environment around her in order to do something truly special, making for an imaginative story. She stuffs and squishes wild tamarind, coontie leaves and mud into her hair, turning it into a butterfly garden overnight. The mixed-media illustrations depict tender interactions between Dalia and the natural world, enhancing the feeling of whimsy. Further enriching the story is the appearance of flora and fauna specific to Cuba. The vibrant illustrations stretch across full pages, the deeply saturated colors and assured lines drawing readers' eyes across each spread. The placement of the bilingual text is a little sporadic, at times being side-by-side and other times above-and-below, but the presentation of the book overall is excellent. A bilingual author's note provides further information about the plants and animals referenced and presents instructions for creating one's own butterfly garden. A delightful account of one fanciful little girl's enchanted day in Cuba. (Bilingual picture book. 3-6)

Horn Book

When Dalia wakes up, her hair has grown "tall and thick as a Cuban royal palm tree." She gathers leaves, mud, and other treasures and turns her hair into a tree. The next morning butterflies fly out; she's a "BUTTERFLY TREE!!" Enhanced by lush illustrations, the Spanish and English texts don't make much sense but are full of references to Cuba's natural world. Glos.

School Library Journal (Thu May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

K-Gr 2 One day, a young Latina girl's thick, black, wavy tresses stand straight up into the air. This might sound like a set-up for a bad hair day, but rather than being appalled or upset, Dalia happily makes the most of it. She proceeds to add items in her hair to look more like the natural surroundings, in hopes of resembling a special tree for her mother. The childhood appeal of this little girl interacting with nature will resonate with a broad audience, who will like Dalia. The Spanish translation is good, and it is just as enjoyable to read in English as it is in Spanish. At the end, the author includes a glossary of flora native to Cuba that are mentioned in the story. Additionally, there are some notes on how to create a butterfly garden. Laca;mara's rich and colorful artwork beautifully complement the imaginative text. A fun and enjoyable read-aloud. Maricela Leon-Barrera, San Francisco Public Library

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

One magical morning, Dalia awakes to find her hair has grown up toward the sky, "tall and thick as a Cuban royal palm tree." Throughout the day, to the shock of her neighbors, Dalia covers her wondrous hair with natural material from the environment around her in order to do something truly special, making for an imaginative story. She stuffs and squishes wild tamarind, coontie leaves and mud into her hair, turning it into a butterfly garden overnight. The mixed-media illustrations depict tender interactions between Dalia and the natural world, enhancing the feeling of whimsy. Further enriching the story is the appearance of flora and fauna specific to Cuba. The vibrant illustrations stretch across full pages, the deeply saturated colors and assured lines drawing readers' eyes across each spread. The placement of the bilingual text is a little sporadic, at times being side-by-side and other times above-and-below, but the presentation of the book overall is excellent. A bilingual author's note provides further information about the plants and animals referenced and presents instructions for creating one's own butterfly garden. A delightful account of one fanciful little girl's enchanted day in Cuba. (Bilingual picture book. 3-6)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A rich, warm palette and paintings bursting with vegetation-both drawn from Lacámara-s native Cuba-add to the anything-is-possible atmosphere of this charming bilingual story about a girl who decides to do something special with her towering beehive of hair. Dalia asks her mother to guess what kind of tree she is as she packs her bouffant with leaves from the forest and mud from the swamp. Although Dalia-s -do gets a tad icky (-Do you want me to take care of that?- offers a machete-wielding neighbor), the whimsical result is worth it. Ages 4-9. (June)