LUCÍA THE LUCHADORA AND THE MILLION MASKS

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LUCÍA THE LUCHADORA AND THE MILLION MASKS

Name: LUCÍA THE LUCHADORA AND THE MILLION MASKS
Author: Cynthia Leonor Garza
ISBN: 978-1-57687-894-1

by Cynthia Leonor Garza ; illustrated by Alyssa Bermudez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 9, 2018

Transcendent joy personified in a pair of rip-roaring luchadoras.

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Sisterhood leads to an adventure befitting a luchadora in Garza and Bermudez’s sublime sequel to Lucía the Luchadora (2017).

Donning her luchadora mask and silver cape, Lucía dives and soars in her backyard like a true luchadora. Her little sister, Gemma, tries to demonstrate some luchadora flair too, but the younger girl bumbles, tumbles, and SPLATS right on her face. Lucía thinks Gemma “always finds trouble.” When Gemma tears a hole in Lucía’s beloved mask, a devastated Lucía knows older sisters never win. Abuela, however, offers a solution. The trio head off to the mercado—which Lucía calls a “splendiferousmarket”—to find a luchadora mask for Gemma, one that’ll help her “finally act like a real luchadora.” Similar to its predecessor, this follow-up pops and snaps with jubilant glee. Garza’s buoyant wordplay and delightful characters also continue to shine. Equally, Bermudez’s vibrant, action-packed pictures epitomize pure zany fun. Inspired by the tale of Mil Máscaras, a legendary luchador, and the many masks available at the mercado, Lucía dreams of becoming the Girl of a Thousand Masks. Gemma, meanwhile, discovers her luchadora mask and sneaks off into the bustling mercado. Sensing trouble, Lucía follows. Together the luchadoras find a lost kitten and an opportunity to right a wrong. As always, Abu’s words ring true: “Remember, the best adventures are shared.”

Transcendent joy personified in a pair of rip-roaring luchadoras. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-57687-894-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: POW!

Review Posted Online: July 23, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
LUCÍA THE LUCHADORA
by Cynthia Leonor Garza ; illustrated by Alyssa Bermudez

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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HOW TO CATCH A MAMASAURUS

From the How To Catch… series

by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024

A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series.

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Another creature is on the loose.

The long-running series continues its successful formula with this Hallmark card of a book, which features bright illustrations and catchy rhymes. This time, the mythical creature the racially diverse children set out to catch is an absent mom who does it all (lists of descriptors include the words banker, caregiver, nurse, doctor, driver, chef, housekeeper, teacher, entertainer, playmate, laundry service, problem solver, handywoman, cleaner, and alarm clock) but doesn’t seem to have a job outside the home and is inexplicably a dinosaur. As the children prepare gifts and a meal for her, the text becomes an ode to the skills the Mamasaurus possesses (“Day or night she’s always there. / She meets every wish and need”) and values she instills (“Sometimes life can mean hard work,” “kindness matters,” and “what counts is doing your best”). This well-intentioned selection veers into cliche generously sprinkled with saccharine but manages to redeem itself with its appreciation for mothers and all that they may do. Endpapers include a “to” and “from” page framed in a heart, as well as a page where young gift givers or recipients can draw a picture of their Mamasaurus.