Review by Booklist Review
Wanting to make their mother's birthday special, siblings Sebi and Star decide to make empanadas, like their recently departed grandmother Monona always did. Armed with Monona's recipe, the pair head to the grocery store with Papi to shop for ingredients. Along the way, they discover that most cultures have a "pocket of love"--a recipe for a dumpling or stuffed pastry. Their grandmother's recipe calls for a secret ingredient that stumps the siblings. Can they replicate their grandmother's empanadas and bring a smile to their mother's face? Pura Belpré winner Méndez deals with death and loss sensitively and gently, showing children how to celebrate life and remember those no longer with us. A wonderful two-page spread, depicting and naming "pocket" foods from around the world, highlights cultural commonalities and the pleasure of sharing good food. In delicate, cheerful multimedia illustrations, Palacios (herself a Pura Belpré Honor Book winner) scatters musical notes, stars, hearts, and flowers, concretely illustrating the characters' feelings and emotions. A recipe for empanadas concludes.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Two Latinx-cued siblings attempting to follow a family empanada recipe worry that they're missing a key ingredient in this tender intergenerational story. After Grandma Monona's death, young Sebi and Star miss their world-traveling grandmother. But "Mami misses Monona the most." For Mami's birthday--her first without Monona--the siblings plan to make empanadas, just like their grandmother did each year. The children contemplate the "secret ingredient" on Monona's recipe card, shopping with Papi at the market. There, they tell their plans to Doña Rita, who explains how each country has its own version of the food--"little pockets filled with love and a taste from home." Méndez sensitively emphasizes legacy alongside loss: the children pick flowers from the pots Monona planted, play her favorite song while cooking, and compare their empanada-crimping styles to hers. Palacios's warm-hued illustrations--mustard yellow, avocado green, and terra cotta--portray cozy comfort throughout this story about love folded into a family's favorite dish. An empanada recipe concludes. Ages 4--8. (Sept.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
It's Mami's first birthday without Grandma Monona. Sebi and Star want to help Mami have a wonderful day, even though they all miss Monona, who's recently died. Younger sibling Sebi suggests they make empanadas for Mami while she's at work, just like Grandma Monona used to do. The kids and Papi crack open the recipe box and get started but are stumped when the recipe reads "a pinch of this" and "a dash of that" and then refers to a mysterious "secret ingredient." Hoping that a shopping trip will inspire them, they walk to the market. A friendly neighbor calls the empanadas "pockets of love" and explains to Star that every country has its own version of a stuffed-dough comfort food. Even though the form and filling differ, they're all "filled with love and a taste from home." The family members finish their shopping and start cooking, and Mami's delighted by the homemade empanadas. The family realizes that the secret ingredient was love all along. Cozy illustrations feel like a big hug, full of delicious details such as examples of other cuisines from around the world. The heartwarming tale beautifully depicts how love and tradition can create new memories, even in the face of loss. Sebi and Star, as well as their family and most neighbors, have brown skin and brown hair; the use of Spanish cues the family as Latine. A celebration of family, culture, and the healing power of homemade empanadas. (author's note, recipes)(Picture book. 5-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
