No More Señora Mimí

by Meg Medina (Author) Brittany Cicchese (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

From Newbery Medalist Meg Medina, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, comes a poignant salute to the caregivers who enter a child's tender world.

Ana cannot contain her excitement--her abuela is coming to stay with her and Mami for always! Abuela is sure to let Ana play whenever she wants instead of rushing her off to school, like her neighbor and babysitter, señora Mimí, sometimes does. In fact, as Ana's classmate points out, she won't need señora Mimí to babysit at all anymore! But señora Mimí is a good listener, and they have a lot of fun together feeding the squirrels and eating snacks. Maybe Ana isn't ready to say goodbye to señora Mimí just yet? Masterful storyteller Meg Medina shares a reassuring tale that celebrates caregivers and community and their special role in children's lives, paired with warm, expressive illustrations by Brittany Cicchese.

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Hardcover
$17.99

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

It's a special day: Ana's abuela is moving in with Ana and Mami, and will take care of Ana while Mami works. Until now, neighbor señora Mimí--along with her baby, Nelson, and dog, Pancho--has been taking Ana to school every morning and picking her up each afternoon. "Now anda, little one," señora Mimí prompts, "Vamos.... We're almost out of time." Not until a classmate's chance remark--"No more señora Mimí to tell you what to do every day!"--does Ana realize that in gaining Abuela, she will lose the babysitter's daily presence. In conversational prose ("I hadn't really thought about that"), Medina (Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away), observes Ana as she begins to grasp the complexity of the transition: "I won't be able to tell señora Mimí the best parts of my day or the things I'd do over." Via digitally created spreads, Cicchese (The Kitten Story) peers into the faces of Ana and señora Mimí as they acknowledge the change. In this compassionate work, a relationship whose nuances Ana hadn't truly considered holds the key to her consolation as the two make new plans together. Protagonists cue as Latinx; background characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 5-7. Agent (for author and illustrator): Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary. (Sept.)

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Kirkus

An affectionate shoutout to sitters.

Hornbook

Sights, sounds, and smells are vividly delineated, creating a picturesque backdrop to center the cousins' journey and its transformative effects.

Review quotes

A compassionate consideration of caregivers, Medina's careful, playful text blends spare dialogue with telling details that, piece by piece, build up Ana's tender friendship with señora Mimí. . . . Cicchese's artwork boasts a rich palette of warm shades of yellows, oranges, and browns. . . . An affectionate shoutout to sitters.
—Kirkus Reviews

The plot—told in the third person and never too harrowing—is fast-paced and rich in setting. Sights, sounds, and smells are vividly delineated, creating a picturesque backdrop to center the cousins' journey and its transformative effects.
—The Horn Book

Meg Medina
Meg Medina (megmedina.com) is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author who writes for children and teens. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award as well as the Pura Belpré Award and Honor. She is the 2019 Newbery Medal winner for her novel Merci Suárez Changes Gears. When she is not writing, she works on community projects that support Latinx youth. She lives with her family in Richmond, Virginia. You can follow Meg on Twitter @meg_medina and on Instagram @megmedinabooks.

Marilisa Jiménez García is an associate professor of children's literature at Simmons University. She is the author of Side by Side: US Empire, Puerto Rico, and the Roots of Youth Literature and Culture. She researches the role of youth literature in education and racial justice struggles in the US. Jiménez García's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Refinery 21, Children's Literature, and Latino Studies. You can follow her on Twitter @MarilisaJimenez.

Chelsea Clinton is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World; She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History; She Persisted in Sports: American Olympians Who Changed the Game; She Persisted in Science: Brilliant Women Who Made a Difference; Don't Let Them Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe; It's Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going!; Start Now!: You Can Make a Difference; with Hillary Clinton, Grandma's Gardens and Gutsy Women; and, with Devi Sridhar, Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why? She is also the Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, where she works on many initiatives, including those that help empower the next generation of leaders. She lives in New York City with her husband, Marc, their children and their dog, Soren. You can follow Chelsea Clinton on Twitter @ChelseaClinton or on Facebook at facebook.com/chelseaclinton.

Gillian Flint (gillianflint.com) is an illustrator who has a passion for painting in watercolors. She has been drawing and creating characters for as long as she can remember. Her work has been published in the USA, the UK and Australia. In her spare time she enjoys reading and gardening at her home in the UK. You can follow her on Instagram @gillianflint_illustration.

Alexandra Boiger (alexandraboiger.com) has illustrated nearly twenty picture books, including the She Persisted series by by Chelsea Clinton; the popular Tallulah series by Marilyn Singer; and the Max and Marla books, which she also wrote. Originally from Munich, Germany, she now lives outside of San Francisco, California, with her husband, Andrea; daughter, Vanessa; and two cats, Luiso and Winter. You can follow Alexandra on Instagram @alexandra_boiger.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781536219449
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Candlewick Press (MA)
Publication date
September 03, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV023000 - Juvenile Fiction | Lifestyles | City & Town Life
Library of Congress categories
-

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