Lupita is thrilled when her teacher announces that her first-grade class will be performing the traditional Mexican folk dance la raspa for a huge audience on Children's Day. Her mother carefully sews a colorful costume, and Lupita rehearses tirelessly with her classmates. However, on the day of their big performance, her partner must bow out with an injured ankle. Lupita makes the split-second decision to dance alone, swirling and swaying with an imaginary partner before the crowd, amid a shower of roses from an adoring audience. This bilingual picture book (English on top of the page, Spanish on the bottom) prizes Mexican culture while at the same time striking a chord regarding universal human emotions such as disappointment and triumph. Utomo's realistic illustrations are as vibrant and energetic as Lupita's performance, showcasing the colorful costumes of the dancers. Additionally, these engaging illustrations are nuanced enough to reveal genuine human emotion that makes the story easy to understand in any language.

Lupita can't wait to dance La Raspa, a Mexican folk dance, in the beautiful costume that Mami sewed for her. When her partner sprains his ankle, she decides to dance anyway. The bland text in Spanish and English isn't done any favors by Utomo's awkwardly rendered illustrations, though they do occasionally capture movement as Lupita and her classmates dance.

First-grader Lupita faces a tough decision in this bilingual story set in the American Southwest when she is suddenly left without a dancing partner for her school celebration of Children's Day/el Día del Niño. Mrs. López announces to her class that they will be performing "La Raspa," a traditional Mexican dance that Lupita knows well. She enthusiastically practices every day after school with her partner, Ernesto, and loves wearing the traditional costume prepared by her mother. However, on the day of the big dance, Ernesto suffers an injury and cannot participate. Lupita must decide what to do: give up and not take part in the dance she has been eagerly anticipating or risk embarrassment by joining the other pairs of dancers onstage by herself. To the initial surprise and then delight of her teacher, her family and everyone in the crowd, Lupita does not let the moment escape her. Though the story offers little development of the characters or plot beyond Lupita's dilemma, the positive portrayal of a young girl brave enough to take a risk is noteworthy. The realistic illustrations successfully depict the movement of the dancers and the expressions of emotion, helping to elevate the book overall. This straightforward presentation of Mexican-American culture and dance as celebrated by children has understated appeal. (Bilingual picture book. 5-8)