De Anda invites readers to explore issues surrounding health and nutrition in this accessible, bilingual picture book. After Tito learns that he could develop diabetes, his relatives help choose healthier foods. Tía Sofía proposes, "let's go a whole day without sugar," and then she enthusiastically guides the children through a "sugar hunt" to reveal the hidden sugars in their everyday choices. Their hunt ends with some sugar they can all have sweet kiss from Tía Sofía on the top of their heads. Though the message of sugar reduction can be didactic, this story is balanced by an underlying theme: a loving Latino family invested in bettering their health and well-being. This would pair nicely with Sofía and the Purple Dress / Sofía y el vestido morado (2012), by Diane Gonzalez Bertrand, and Alicia's Fruity Drinks / Las aguas frescas de Alicia (2012), by Lupe Ruiz-Flores, as part of a larger conversation on nutrition, health, families, and communities.

A risk of family diabetes prompts Tía Sofía to teach her nieces and nephews about alternatives to sugar when choosing meals and snacks. Ten-year-old Tito and his cousins enjoy spending weekends at their aunt's house, playing board games and watching television. On this weekend, Tía Sofía tells the family that everyone must help Tito eat healthier to avoid developing diabetes like his grandfather and uncle. To do this, they must eliminate as much hidden sugar as possible and eat natural sugars such as those in fruits. Under their aunt's guidance, the children spend the day analyzing all their meals. They learn, for example, that ketchup and relish include sugar, but fresh tomato and homemade salsa on a hamburger can be healthier and just as delicious. At day's end, they are surprised with an apple turnover, sans sugar but made with cinnamon, that holds its natural delicious sweetness simply from the juice of the apples. Latino family scenes painted in gouache on textured paper are populated by amiable, brown-skinned characters who seem to enjoy the challenge presented to them. The weekend concludes with the only acceptable sugar treat, a sweet kiss from Tía Sofía. Though the focus on sugar is apparent, an underlining theme of balancing nutrition with exercise rounds out the purpose-filled story told with a fluent dual English and Spanish text. (Picture book. 6-8)

Gr 1-4 Given that diabetes is a significant problem in the Latino community, this book is recommended even though it exists almost entirely to teach a lesson. And that lesson is that excess sugar is not healthy. Tito, who is 10, realizes that he is at risk, as he has older relatives who have diabetes. So while staying with his cousins at his aunt's house, Tito tries to go an entire day without sugar. He and his cousins make it a game, finding the hidden sugar in products they didn't realize contained it. They discover that they can make substitutions and have delicious food even if sugar is not added.