Mónica spends her life around a bakery, not just because she likes the sweets, but also because she loves her grandparents, the baker and the bakery lady. She watches wide-eyed, as the pans slip in and out of the oven and in and out of the appreciative customer’s hands straight into their happy bellies.
In this colorful bilingual picture book, Mónica yearns to be a baker, like her grandparents. Her first real test comes as she and her beloved grandparents prepare for the coming celebration of January sixth, Feast of the Three Kings, Día de los Reyes Magos. When Mónica finds the baby in the round bread ring that shines with cherries and pecans, the Kings’ Ring, it becomes her responsibility to plan the celebration: invitations, decorations, and most important of all, the lemon cookies that Mónica will bake especially for her family and friends. And although she wants to do it all herself, she realizes the love and help of family can make any job a joy.
Pat Mora once again weaves a tale rich with tradition in which we become active participants in the wonderfully sweet world of la panadería. Children aged 3 to 7 will delight in the delicious sights and savory smells of the panadería and Mónica’s quest to be the next “Bakery Lady.”
“Mora has once again succeeded in writing a warm family story that includes information about Mexican traditions and celebrations while appealing to the common elements that link people across cultures.”—School Library Journal
Praise for the work of Pat Mora:
With a playful poetic text, this bilingual picture book celebrates a child’s connection with her desert home … On each double-page spread the child makes a demand and the picture demonstrates how the desert satisfies her. The feelings are universal, the words are precise and physical. This child is fostered by the joy and awe of lonely places.”—Booklist on The Desert Is My Mother / El desierto es mi madre
“This western frolic is winsomely illustrated in soft and soothing Southwestern shades. Slight but sassy, serve this one up with salsa and mariachi music.”—Booklist on Delicious Hullabaloo / Pachanga deliciosa
PAT MORA is a renowned writer of poetry, stories for children and nonfiction. Among her many works are the poetry collections Chants (1984), Borders (1986) and Communion (1994). Mora is also the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of over 30 books for children and young adults, including The Bakery Lady/La señora de la panadería (2001), My Own True Name (2000), The Gift of the Poinsettia/El regalo de la flor de nochebuena (1995), Tomás and the Library Lady, Pablo’s Tree, A Birthday Basket for Tía, The Desert Is My Mother/El desierto es mi madre (1994), Delicious Hullabaloo/Pachanga deliciosa (1998) and Confetti. In 1999, she was the Garrey Carruthers Chair Visiting Distinguished Professor in Honors at the University of New Mexico. An El Paso native and the mother of three grown children, she divides her time between the Southwest and the Cincinnati area where her husband teaches anthropology.
Learn more at patmora.com.
PABLO TORECILLA, a native of Madrid, Spain, has illustrated numerous books, including Marina’s Muumuu / El muumuu de Marina (Arte Público Press, 2001), by Evangelina Vigil-Piñón. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
ATOS Interest Level: Lower Grades
Category: Picture Book
ATOS English: 3
ATOS Spanish: 3
Accelerated Reader Quiz #: 52718