MANUELA'S GIFT

In this impressive first effort from two newcomers, Manuela longs for a new yellow dress for her birthday. Times are hard; the chickens do not lay, the corn dries in the field, and Manuela’s birthday surprise is a dress made from an old dress of her mother’s. Hiding her disappointment, Manuela goes to the barn and imagines that her birthday pi§ata is filled not with small toys and sweets, but with all the things she wants: rain for the corn, chickens and eggs, a fine horse to carry her grandmother, pretty dresses, earrings, a new hat. Then she considers all the hard work and love that went into making the surprise dress and decides that even with hard times she has much to be thankful for. The text is gentle, a fine contrast to the striking paintings in gold, aqua, terra cotta, and green, which use decorative patterns to capture the flavor of Mexico and strong portraiture to show the loving relationships in the family. The images are so compelling that readers will want more time to savor them before the tension in the text forces them forward. (Picture book. 6-8)