N is for Navidad

Description

An introduction to Latino Christmas traditions and the Spanish alphabet, this text pictures Christmas objects and activities that are unique to the Latino tradition as well as ones familiar to all families that celebrate the holiday.

Susan Middleton Elya has been writing books in Spanish and English for the past eight years. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Merry Banks lives in Alameda, California. This is her sixth book for children. Joe Cepeda is the award-winning illustrator of more than 20 books for children. He lives in Southern California.

A lively introduction to Latino Christmas traditions follows an alphabetical structure as a way to introduce key Spanish terms and explain holiday customs and activities. The highlighted words include the Spanish words for decorations, food, family members, key characters in the Nativity story and terms relating to church attendance. Additional days of celebration, such as Las Posadas and Three Kings Day, are also included. The authors skillfully pack their short, rhyming text with a rather amazing amount of information, while still making the text peppy and interesting. Cepeda fills his buoyant paintings with fruits and flowers in brilliant colors, smiling people enjoying the holiday treats and backgrounds in bright greens and blues creating a cheerful mood. The illustrations show one extended family enjoying the holiday in a chronological progression, from hanging the first decorations at the beginning of the season to setting out their zapatos (shoes) for Three Kings Day. An author's note provides further information (noting that most of the customs included are Mexican in origin), and a glossary gives pronunciations for the Spanish words and complete definitions." Kirkus Reviews, starred review ."..vividly capture[s] the scenes of holiday cheer." The Horn Book ."..provide[s] a springboard for discussion of holiday traditions while keeping children entertained visually." School Library Journal "Many little ones will enjoy this picture of a loving family celebrating together." Booklist