Starred Review ALA Booklist (Fri May 27 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Starred Review YA novelist Sanches makes her picture-book debut with a story about the heartaches of leaving what you know and love for a new, unknown place. When Rocio moves to the U.S. with her parents, it means leaving Abuela, Tia Rosa, and her cousin behind in Central America. She reminisces about her abuela's store and her warm greeting "Hola, mi amor!," as well as the smell of burnt sugar, pan dulce, and fresh fruits. Rocio also recalls the soft rustle of crepe paper streamers covering the colorful piñatas made by Abuela and regrets not asking for one to have in her new bedroom in the U.S. Brazilian illustrator Ceolin brings rich color and traditional designs to the story, blending Rocio's heritage and memories into her new life. While the girl's heart longs for familiar smells and surroundings, a surprise delivery helps her begin to feel settled. Awakening to her family singing "Las Mañanitas," Rocio discovers a big package waiting for her from Abuela. Inside the box, she finds a handmade piñata and Abuela's delicious tortillas! Seeing the words, "con mucho amor," written upon the box, Rocio understands that the love between her and her family can bridge any distance. This tender, reassuring portrait of family and home is also available in Spanish (Con mucho amor, 2022).

Horn Book (Thu Oct 03 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

After moving to a "new home" in the southeastern United States, Rocio finds herself missing her "other home" in Central America, where she'd lived with her grandmother, aunt, and cousins. She visits there in her imagination, recalling everything from the "smell of spicy peppers and burnt sugar" to the "soft rustling of pinatas that hung from the ceiling" of her abuela's small grocery store. In her picture-book debut, Sanchez (We Are Not from Here, rev. 9/20) evokes, with rich sensory detail, Rocio's memories of lovingly prepared food (Abuela's warm tortillas smell "sweet and fresh, like the damp earth after a soft rain"), and Ceolin's (Hanukkah Hamster, rev. 11/18) illustrations feature abundant star motifs and geometric patterns inspired by the traditional textiles Abuela wears. But it's Abuela herself that Rocio misses most of all. Her longing for her beloved grandmother is palpable, as is her delight when a package, covered in stamps, arrives on the morning of her birthday. It's not spoiling the surprise to say that it was sent by her abuela, "con mucho amor." While the contents of the package are satisfying, Rocio's emotional connection to Abuela -- one that spans the star-sprinkled sky -- remains central to this story. Happily, Rocio finds a way to send lots of love back home to Abuela, too. Concurrently published in Spanish as Con mucho amor.

Kirkus Reviews

A young girl living in the United States misses her old life in an unnamed Central American country, particularly her beloved grandmother.Rocio misses visits to Abuela's grocery store, with its enticing smells and the soft, rustling sounds of handmade piñatas hanging from the ceiling. She misses Abuela's buñuelos (fried dough fritters), special coffee, and tortillas, and she fondly recalls how she and her grandmother used to gaze at the night sky at bedtime. On the morning of Rocio's birthday, she is excited and moved to discover that Abuela has sent her a package containing "a dazzling star made of bright ruffled paper"; a stack of tortillas wrapped in a cloth with Rocio's name stitched on it; and a picture of Abuela and other relatives holding a happy-birthday banner. "Con mucho amor. / With lots of love," the writing on the package reads. That night, Rocio blows a kiss through her window that travels far across the night sky to eventually land on Abuela's cheek "with lots of love." The striking digital artwork incorporates dynamic patterns and flowing lines that add liveliness, balancing the rather bland, albeit sweet, text. All characters have straight black hair and terra-cotta–colored skin except for Rocio's light-skinned mother. Visual cues suggest that Rocio lives in a suburban neighborhood, and may lead some readers to conclude her grandmother lives in Mexico. Some Spanish terms, like pan dulce and Las Mañanitas, are sprinkled throughout the story. A celebration of the grandparent-grandchild bond and an immigration tale that any child missing home will relate to. (Picture book. 4-8)

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

In Torres

School Library Journal (Tue Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2022)

PreS-Gr 2 Rocio is melancholy in her new home in the United States. She misses her grandmother, aunt, and cousins, with whom she used to live in Central America. With her birthday is approaching, Rocio remembers Abuela's small grocery store and the fresh fruit, pan dulce, and the colorful piñatas that Rocio loved so much. Most of all, she thinks of the extra sweet coffee and tortillas her grandmother used to make for her. The English narrative is interspersed with Spanish words that tell of family love and warm memories that help a young girl adapt to her home. The expressive digital illustrations are set in panels and full spreads, using curved lines and shades of red and blue to emphasize the essence of the lost home and the loved ones left behind. This picture book could be used in a social unit covering cultural traits and family migration. The subject matter, although intrinsically sad, is brightened by the skillfully lighthearted art, which complements the plot and leaves readers with the sense that there are more memories yet to be created. VERDICT An endearing picture book that could work well in a preschool story time or first grade school activity about family ties and migration. Kathia Ibacache