Tamales for Christmas

★ A dazzling Yuletide remembrance.

When the weather changes, but way before the Christmas tree is decorated, Grandma prepares." Inspired, per an author's note, by his own grandmother, Briseño chronicles a matriarch's tamale production leading up to Christmas, as "with masa in one hand, corn husks in the other," she makes enough tamales to sell--finding a way "to fill the space underneath the tree." Via energetic, reiterative text that tracks the woman's incredible progress, spreads note first how the initial 15 dozen are sold by the speaker's father "in the cool of the morning... to his co-workers and friends." At Halloween, Grandma works between trick-or-treaters, reaching 150 dozen tamales. As winter arrives, she's "just warming up," her count soon reaching 850 dozen, and then, by Christmas, a whopping 1,000 dozen. In illustrations rendered digitally with handmade brushes and textures, Sánchez uses warm hues for bustling domestic scenes, while text affectionately details the woman's attributes (giving, funny, tenacious) and helps readers track the tamale count. It's a triumphant work jam-packed with activity and pure familial love. The Latinx-cued family is portrayed with various skin tones. A tamale recipe concludes. Publishes simultaneously in English and Spanish. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 2-The newest picture book from Briseño (The Notebook Keeper) is based on a true story from his own family. Before Christmas, Grandma prepares tamales in her kitchen at home to earn money for presents for all her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. As Halloween and Thanksgiving pass, she works hard, preparing the tamales night and day. The family helps when they can: Dad sells them to coworkers and friends, and other relatives pitch in to do chores so Grandma has more time for her work. As the story progresses, the number of tamales rises from 15 dozen to 1000 dozen. Painterly illustrations throughout show big smiles and lots of love within the family. Sánchez makes the work look fun and the tamales look delicious. Readers will be happy the tamale recipe is included at the end, along with a note and photograph from the author that provides more detail about his family's holiday traditions with his grandmother. VERDICT This picture book about family food traditions around the holidays would be a welcome addition to any library.

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.