ALA Booklist (Wed Sep 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

From the day Niña is born, she and her grandmother have a special, loving relationship. Throughout Niña's childhood, she and Abuela sing, dance, laugh, go to the park, and create beautiful papel picado banners, a type of Mexican folk art. As Niña grows older, she wants to spend time with her friends, Abuela visibly ages, and external changes related to Mexico and its economy add stress. Soon, the country decides to replace its currency, and old bills must be exchanged for new ones. But because Abuela is becoming more forgetful, she does not exchange the currency she'd been saving, and by the time she and Niña find the stash of money, it's too late: the money is worthless. Rather than mourn the monetary loss, however, Niña suggests cutting the old bills into papel picado banners, and their time shared together is priceless, even though it doesn't cost a thing. Ruiz's mixed-media illustrations, which resemble block printing, nicely telegraph the shifting mood of the story, successfully conveying a complex topic in a genial way.

Horn Book (Wed Sep 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Abuela and Niqa create papel picado, make up silly songs, and eat pan dulce in the park. Ruiz's mixed-media illustrations deftly incorporate details of vibrant 1980s Mexico City. When new currency is introduced, Abuela's savings are now worthless. But Niqa and Abuela restore their "value" by creating colorful papel picado from the old bills. In the face of materialism, Ruiz demonstrates how family bonds remain steady and unbreakable.

Kirkus Reviews

Grandma and Niña dance, sing, laugh, and eat pan dulce in the park together. But one day the child forgets about her grandmother as school and friends take precedence. At the same time, the Mexican economy worsens, and suddenly the money Abuela has been saving for her granddaughter's special gift is worthless. Niña visits after a long absence only to find Abuela not home. Seeing the stack of dirty dishes, the layer of dust, and overflowing trash bin, the young girl cleans the house. Spotting a spiderweb-draped clay pot on the fridge, she opens it to discover useless old pesos. When Abuela returns, she and Niña embrace, make papel picado out of the old bills, and eat pan dulce in the park. Ruiz's simplistic story makes almost no sense from the beginning. No parents are ever in evidence, so many readers will assume that Abuela is Niña's sole guardian. Then, suddenly, the girl lives somewhere else and no longer comes around—even though she lives close enough to visit on her own. Abuela puts away a paltry 20 pesos each week, but the jar is miraculously filled with large bills (these are collaged into the illustration). When Abuela no longer has extra money to set aside, she forgets about the jar and fails to exchange the contents for the new official currency. The disarray in which Abuela leaves her house will strike many as hard to believe. Ruiz's muted multimedia prints are charming; the story is not. (Picture book. 4-7)

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

This family story by Ruiz (The Book of Memory Gaps) unfolds in Mexico, where Abuela and Nina, grandmother and granddaughter, enjoy small pleasures like making papel picado (paper-cutout banners), and their very favorite activity: -Every Sunday, they would sit quietly in the park, eat pan dulce, and watch the people pass by.- Abuela begins to save peso notes, planning to buy something special for Nina-but Nina grows up, Abuela grows older, and a newly issued currency renders the savings valueless. A surprise visit by Nina one day finds a new use for the devalued pesos and an affirmation of the joy the characters share. To accompany her tale, Ruiz creates folk-naif woodcut-style illustrations in muted shades of blue, gray, rust, and mustard, evoking old posters and faded peso notes. The story traces how time shifts family situations, and-a point not commonly taken up in picture books-the way people-s economic circumstances can change in ways they can-t plan for or control. But Ruiz-s most important message is that love survives no matter what. Ages 4-8. Agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House. (Aug.)

School Library Journal (Wed Sep 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

PreS-Gr 1 Ever since Niña was born, she and Abuela have loved spending time together, making papel picado, and especially eating pan dulce in the park every Sunday. As Niña grows older, Abuela puts away the pesos she can in order to buy Niña a special gift. As time goes on, things changenot only between Abuela and Niña, but in all of Mexico as well. Niña spends more time with her friends, and when the currency in Mexico changes, Abuela's pesos are no longer worth anything, and she sometimes has difficulty gathering coins to set aside. When Niña visits Abuela, she finds the house dusty and lonely, and decides to clean it up and surprise Abuela. When she finds the pesos set aside, Abuela tells her about the special gift she had wanted to give her. Using the paper money, they decide to make beautiful papel picado together, and go back to their favorite way of spending Sundays: eating pan dulce in the park. Beautiful and soft pastel colored illustrations decorate every page and bring the papel picado and the homes and neighborhoods to life. Filled with lovely illustrations and the all-too-true message that "sometimes life just gets in the way," this story seems to be going in different directions, and ultimately ends abruptly and leaves readers yearning for a little bit more. VERDICT An additional purchase. Selenia Paz, Harris County Public Library, Houston, TX