Las Magníficas Plantitas Bailadoras de Mamá (Mamá's Magnificent Dancing Plantitas)

August 1, 2024
Grades K-3 Jes�s is bored and wants to play outside, but he has to wait for his mother to finish watching her soap opera first. To keep Jes�s busy, she asks him to take care of her plants: water them, watch over them, and let her know if anything is wrong with them. Jes�s performs his duties with gusto, entertaining the plants (and the reader) as he checks on each one. When he discovers that one isn't feeling well, Jes�s gives it a trim, tells it some jokes, and even throws a dance party. Disaster strikes when the plant tips over, breaking its pot. A panicked Jes�s confesses what happened, and his mother explains that the plant outgrew its small pot, which is why it wasn't feeling well. So they get a bigger pot from Dad and, as a family, transplant it. Kinkz's scribbly watercolor illustrations capture Jes�s' playful spirit and give expressive faces to all the plants. The Spanish is well written, if a bit advanced for beginning readers, but the story will delight any listeners on any Spanish level.

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Starred review from August 16, 2024

PreS-Gr 2-The same team behind Pap�'s Magical Water-Clock Jug has returned with this just as poignant and hilarious companion title. Single child Jes�s is bored with no sibling to play with and tries to fill his time by "helping" his mother clean while she watches her novela. Mama entrusts him to look after her magnificent house plants. He is so excited to be a "big brother." The boy waters the plants, gives them "haircuts" tells them jokes, and holds a dance party to cheer up his mom's beloved Golden Pothos plant. When Jes�s's exuberant dance moves result in a broken pot and spilled plant, the boy is devastated. Instead of disappointment and anger, his parents lovingly assure him that something positive can come from our mistakes and help us grow. Once again, Trejo's respect for his child audience and the pitch-perfect narrative will resonate with kids. Young readers will identify Jes�s's logic-of, course a dance party is the pick-me-up that his plant siblings need. They will also giggle as he imagines the Pothos's plants funeral and frets about not having clothes to wear. Kinz's accompanying illustrations ground the humor of this tale, filling the family's home with Mexican American touchstones and charmingly complementing the comical text. The vivid images and bright palette, done with pencil, ink, watercolor, gouache, crayons, and a few drops of queso add to this pitch-perfect offering. VERDICT Another magnificent outing from this creative team, filled with the warmth of family and the laugh-inducing high jinks; this is for all picture book collections.-Shelley M. Diaz

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