Isabel loves spending her Saturdays with her aunts, tías Dulce, Rosa and Clara. On this particular Saturday, she bakes empanadas with Dulce and especially enjoys kneading and rolling out the dough into which they’ll put the spiced meat. Then Rosa dresses her as a princess, even using face powder, eye shadow and lipstick. Finally, Isabel and Clara go to the living room to dance until the empanadas are ready. Bernardo's story is full of family activity, though lacking in dramatic tension and problems to be solved. Rodriguez's illustrations are full-color, full-page paintings, facing the pages of bilingual text. Warm, tropical colors predominate, highlighted by strong outlines and simplified realism. The rear endpapers include recipes, in both English and Spanish, for meat empanadas and the spiced beef, picadillo, used for filling. While not an essential purchase for libraries, it will be useful in collections with an emphasis on family traditions and togetherness. (Picture book. 6-9)
