With a poet's magical vision, Francisco X. Alarcón takes us back to his childhood, when he traveled with his family to Mexico to visit his grandmother and other relatives. We travel with him in the family station wagon, across the misty mountain range to the little town of Atoyac. There, in the beloved town of his ancestors, we hear his grandmother's stories, sample Auntie Reginalda's tasty breakfasts, learn about the keys to the universe, and take playful dips in the warm sea.
The lighthearted illustrations of Maya Christina Gonzalez perfectly capture the spirit of summer in Alarcón's Mexico, where "colors are more colorful, tastes are tastier, and even time seems to slow down."
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Francisco X. Alarcón is an award-winning poet and educator. Raised in Mexico and California, he is a strong proponent of writing as a universal means of self-expression available to everyone—not just the literary elite. Currently, Francisco directs the Spanish for Native Speakers Program at the University of California, Davis.
Maya Christina Gonzalez is a celebrated artist and illustrator with a deep love for nature. She has illustrated nearly 20 books for children, many of which have won awards. Her classroom workshops encourage students and teachers to always be fearless in creating art. Maya lives, paints and plays in San Francisco, California.
• 2000 Pura Belpré Author Honor
• Américas Award Commended List
• 1998 Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice
• 1999 Skipping Stones Honor Award
• School Library Journal Starred Review
• 2005 California Readers, Elementary California Collection
"Ideal for summer story hour or warm reminiscing all winter long." —Kirkus Reviews
"This seasonal collection is welcomed for the sweet summertime caress of its sunny sensations, tangy tastes, and warm memories of a loving Latino family." —Booklist
"Alarcón exhibits a tremendous talent for imbuing quotidian objects and concepts with dignity and jubilation." —School Library Journal
"Teachers could use this book as a model to involve children in learning about some aspects of poetry, such as observation of nature and descriptive sensory writing." —MultiCultural Review
"The joyful illustrations add an almost tactile quality to this truly bilingual collection." —The Horn Book Magazine
