May your life be deliciosa

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Title:

May your life be deliciosa

Author:

Genhart, Michael, author.

Lora, Loris, illustrator.

Summary:

"What is the recipe?” I ask. Abuela laughs. “It is in my heart, Rosie. I use mis ojos, my eyes, to measure. Mis manos, my hands, to feel. Mi boca, my mouth, to taste. My abuela gave it to me, and I am giving it to you.” Each year on Christmas Eve, Rosie’s abuela, mamá, tía, sister, and cousins all gather together in Abuela’s kitchen to make tamales—cleaning corn husks, chopping onions and garlic, roasting chilis, kneading cornmeal dough, seasoning the filling, and folding it all—and tell stories. Rosie learns from her abuela not only how to make a delicious tamale, but how to make a delicious life, one filled with love, plenty of spice, and family." -- Amazon.com.

Audience:

Ages 5-7. Cameron Kids.

Grades K-1. Cameron Kids.

Physical Description:

pages cm

Subject Term:

Tamales -- Juvenile fiction.

Cooking -- Juvenile fiction.

Grandmothers -- Juvenile fiction

Families -- Juvenile fiction.

Author(s):

Lora, Loris,

Publisher:

Cameron Kids,

Publication Date:

2021

ISBN:

9781951836221

Publication Information:

Petaluma, California : Cameron Kids, 2021.

Award Note:

Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Book, 2022.

Call Number:

P GENHART

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003565937	Picture Books	GENHART	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

A delicious and fortifying picture book inspired by award-winning author Michael Genhart's family and illustrated by Loris Lora, May Your Life Be Deliciosa features the Mexican tradition of holiday tamale-making.

A Pura Belpré Award Illustrator Honor Book

"What is the recipe?" I ask.

Abuela laughs. "It is in my heart, Rosie. I use mis ojos, my eyes, to measure. Mis manos, my hands, to feel. Mi boca, my mouth, to taste. My abuela gave it to me, and I am giving it to you."

Each year on Christmas Eve, Rosie's abuela, mamá, tía, sister, and cousins all gather together in Abuela's kitchen to make tamales--cleaning corn husks, chopping onions and garlic, roasting chilis, kneading cornmeal dough, seasoning the filling, and folding it all--and tell stories. Rosie learns from her abuela not only how to make a delicious tamale, but how to make a delicious life, one filled with love, plenty of spice, and family.

"Drawing upon their own Latinx family experiences, Genhart and Lora cook up a beautiful story of food and cultural identity, rooted in family recipes, storytelling, and togetherness." -- Booklist (Starred Review)

"The warmth of family love and support wafts enticingly through this homage to tradition." -- Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

Author Notes

Michael Genhart is an award-winning author of several children's books and a clinical psychologist. He lives with his family in the Bay Area. May Your Life Be Deliciosa is his first book with Cameron Kids. Inspired by her Mexican upbringing, pop culture, and mid-century illustration and design.

Loris Lora is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and illustrator whose work has been featured in editorial and book publishing, toy and surface design, and in galleries around the world. She lives and works in Los Angeles.

Reviews (1)

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 3--In a gathering for Christmas, the narrator reveals the tamale-making that fits hand in glove with life lessons uttered by his abuela. The mostly English narration is full of in-context Spanish words, but when Abuela utters words such as "protection and security," the Spanish equivalents appear in large calligraphy as part of the art. Vibrant scenes show a Mexican family pitching in to tell stories, soak the husks, remove silks, add filling, and then fold and place the tamales in the pot to cook. The scent in the air is overwhelming, and anticipation grows, but the slow cooking teaches "patience," and soon the family is feasting on the fruits of their labor. Colors, flowers, rooms filled with laughing people, and a flowing well-paced text combine in a mantra-like telling, as rewarding as the tamales themselves. VERDICT A bilingual beauty that celebrates family across generations, and traditions that can be shared beyond the communal table.--Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal