ALA Booklist (Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2002)

It's early Sunday morning at the Santa Ana Swap Meet, and Estela is excited. Today she hopes to sell something--a music box--for the first time, and then use the money for dance lessons. Watching her father she learns how to bargain, but she can't find a buyer for her own item. Another vendor admires the music box, just as Estela admires the dancing skirt that the vendor is sewing. There's no exchange of money; instead, Estela and the vendor trade the box and skirt as gifts. Like Juan Felipe Herrera's Grandma and Me at the Flea BKL Ap 1 02, this is a warm, nicely paced story about sharing and bartering that's filled with sensory descriptions of the vibrant open market. The textured acrylics capture the hum and bustle of the stalls, but the colorful scenery doesn't overwhelm the story; Sanchez paints the characters in sharp focus, so that they pop out against the blurred, evocative background scenes. A good starting point for classroom discussion across the curriculum.

Horn Book

At her first swap meet with her family, Estela hopes to sell her beloved music box to earn money for folk dancing lessons. When a neighboring vendor loses her inventory in a sudden strong wind, Estela makes a sacrifice that delays the attainment of her goal. The acrylic illustrations convey an air of activity as they direct attention to the principle characters and events. A brief glossary (with pronunciations) precedes the story.

Kirkus Reviews

<p>Estela goes with her father and her brother to the Swap Meet, hoping to earn the ten dollars she needs to pay for folk-dancing lessons by selling a colorful music box that plays Cielito Lindo. After they have set up their stand, her father introduces her to the art of bargaining. Estela handles the customers' offers well, but no one wants to pay anywhere near the price she's asking. When a sudden gust of March wind blows away, all the paper flowers of the friendly woman in a neighboring stand, Estela impulsively gives her the music box that no one has purchased. "Suddenly she knew what she had to do, even if it meant she wouldn't earn any money today." In a surprise ending that careful readers may anticipate, Estela is surprised to receive something wonderful in return. " 'Since we are at a Swap Meet,' the woman said, 'it is only fair that we swap.' " Sanchez's (Speak English for Us, Marisol!, not reviewed, etc.) colorful pastels effectively focus attention on the main characters and objects by delineating them clearly, while softening the outlines of the others. Seven Spanish names and expressions are included in a glossary and pronunciation guide on the half-title page, where, unfortunately, they may be overlooked. This well-crafted tale featuring a Mexican-American father and children will be wonderful for reading aloud to individuals or to groups. (Picture book. 6-10)</p>

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-A Hispanic child joins her father and brother at their Swap Meet stall, hoping to sell her music box to earn the last $10 she needs to pay for folk-dancing lessons. Estela meets an older woman who sells paper flowers and is sewing a falda (skirt), and who admires the music box and its sounds that remind her of her childhood. When a strong wind creates a chaos of tumbled goods, tents, and tarps, the flower seller's wares are gone. In a gesture of generosity and compassion, the little girl gives her the treasured box so she can listen to the music as she makes more flowers. At the end of the day, the older woman presents Estela with the falda as a swap for her music box, creating a satisfying end to a day of excitement. O'Neill subtly weaves details of trades and bargaining into the fabric of her story to give readers a tangible taste of swaps or flea markets. Sanchez uses richly colored, bright acrylics to render the energy and bustle of a Swap Meet in his full-bleed illustrations. The text is skillfully incorporated into the illustrations and the focus on each spread remains firmly on the plucky heroine. All in all, a wonderful bargain.-Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha's Public Library, WI Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.