A childhood friendship and cultural acceptance are at the center of this authentic, special story.In alternating first-person narration, Annie and Maya take turns describing their weekends: They play video games inside and in the backyard of Annie's big home; in Maya's little house, they help with the garden and play with her two dogs. When in Annie's home, Maya is introduced to different foods: noodles, dumplings, and gai lan. At Maya's place, Annie enjoys tamales, tacos, and pozole. The two celebrate a posada with Maya's mother and Lunar New Year with Annie's dad. Sometimes the girls fight, but they always make up. One Sunday, both families eat together, and the girls learn that their parents, Annie's dad and Maya's mom, are getting married. Muraida's colorful, vibrant illustrations pay special, subtle tribute to the girls' Latin American and Vietnamese backgrounds; spreads of the girls at their respective homes display culturally appropriate décor and patterns. Most strikingly, perhaps, two spreads depict the families sharing in each other's religious and cultural celebrations: One displays a candlelit evening parade and children striking a piñata, while the other depicts another vivid parade following red lanterns and an undulating, festive paper dragon. Each page incorporates bilingual text for both English and Spanish readers.A lovely multicultural story about a young friendship, celebrating culture and differences. (Bilingual picture book. 3-7)<

K-Gr 2 Maya and Annie are best friends and spend every weekend together. When Maya visits Annie, she enjoys playing video games and eating foods like soup, noodles, and dumplings and celebrating special holidays like Lunar New Year. When Annie visits Maya, they play with Maya's two small dogs and enjoy tacos, pozole, and tamales and take part in a posada. Sometimes they argue, but never for very long, and both children agree that Saturday and Sunday are the best days of the week, because those are the only days they get to spend together. When Maya's mom and Annie's dad get married, the girls become sisters and get to enjoy every day of the week together, both looking forward to the fun and adventures they will have. This book would make a perfect addition to English and Spanish picture book collections. The vibrant, colorful illustrations bring to life the fun adventures Maya and Annie have, as well as the cultural traditions they share with each other. This is a beautiful lesson for younger children on differences and similarities and what brings people together. VERDICT A fabulous read-aloud choice for picture book collections, as well as for lessons on friendship and family. Selenia Paz, Harris County Public Library, Houston, TX