PABLO’S CHRISTMAS

Young Pablo lives with his parents and two younger sisters on a small farm in the Valle de Guadalupe in Mexico. When his mother announces she’s expecting a new baby, Pablo’s father decides he must go to the United States to earn more money than he currently makes by farming and carving wooden dolls and toys. Pablo tries to take his dad’s place while the father is gone, recounting family stories and successfully chasing away coyotes who threaten their livestock. On Christmas Eve, as promised, the father returns to his family with gifts for all. Pablo receives his own special carving knife and gives his sisters wooden dolls that he has carved for them in secret, using his father’s knife that he left behind. Martín, whose own family came to the U.S. from Mexico, relates the story with believable dialogue and dramatic pacing. He includes a few Spanish words within the story, which can be understood through the context. Chapman’s vibrant illustrations use elements of folk art, such as a flattened perspective, patterned borders and angels flying in the clouds. (Picture book. 4-8)