Michael Genhart

"Every year at my school there is a spelling bee in Spanish.
I'm the first in my class to sign up because Spanish is the language of my family.
Es la lengua de mi familia."

The young narrator is proud of his language and culture, and studies with his abuela, who tells him "things were very different" when she was a little girl: "el espanol no estaba permitido," she explains. Abuela's stories motivate him to study harder, even when it's difficult, and his efforts pay off.

Back matter includes an author's note, information about the National Spanish Spelling Bee, El Dia de los Ninos, and the histry of prohibiting Spanish in public schools. Selected references and a Spanish alphabet are also included.

Parra's art for the book was made with acrylic paint on illustration board and digital media; it has the texture of collage.… (more)

Ah, a book about music! I absolutely LOVE music, and growing up my school's library did not have enough books about it. Seeing more books now, especially children's picture books, packed full of things I loved as a kid makes me feel so good for this generation's libraries.

Our lead's Abuelo and Opa both play the accordion, and they are mighty good at it! They're from different cultures, but they are connected by music. This story is all about how two grandparents from different cultures who speak different languages connect through their love of music.

This book has an accordion in it! One of the most underrated and coolest instruments around (and sometimes the most annoying, let's be honest). And add in some yodeling and polka as well!

I also think this sweet, little, picture book has a great theme. It's not a super long book and it doesn't have much in it for education, but it's still a great story! It's for your younger readers for sure.

The cartoon-y, colourful nature of the illustrations was excellent. I really enjoyed the colour scheme and the style.

Four out of five stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Magination Press for sending me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.… (more)