Another informational children’s story I read was Grandma Francisca Remembers. After reading the book, I found a couple reasons why I would recommend it to others. First, the book provided activities that the reader can do, in order to get a better understanding of the grandmother’s Hispanic culture. An example is that on one of the pages, it includes a recipe for calabacitas (vegetable stew), which is described on the previous page because the grandmother makes it a lot. This is a cool feature included because it provides an opportunity to engage in a hands on activity to learn about other cultures. Also, I enjoy the writing throughout the story because it uses both Spanish and English. Page 5 explains what the grandmother usually calls her granddaughter, which is “Te miras muy bonita,” meaning you look very pretty. I believe the big idea of the story is to show the importance of maintaining and learning about your culture or heritage. The granddaughter is learning her language, traditions, and food that her family has participated in, such as celebrating Three Kings Day, and how it brings her family closer together. I personally learned more about Hispanic culture and would recommend the book to others. ( )

I liked this book for three reasons. First, I liked how the illustrations in the book supported the text. The book was all about Grandma Francisca and the book’s illustrations supported this with real pictures of Grandma Francisca and her family. For instance, when the book discusses how Grandma Francisca and Angelica braid hair together, there are pictures of the two braiding. In addition, when the book discusses Francisca’s past, the book has images from when Francisca was little. Thus, the illustrations add to and support the text.
Second, I liked how the text includes the Spanish language in addition to English in order to demonstrate how Grandma Francisca speaks Spanish to her family members in real life. For instance, the book states, “Como te fue en la esquela hoy? (How was school today?)” The book then describes how this is a common question that Grandma Francisca asks Angelica. Therefore, by adding phrases in Spanish to the book, the author is able to further deepen the meaning of the text and demonstrate Grandma Francisca’s heritage.
Third, I liked how the book contains activities for the reader to complete that matches up with what Grandma Francisca and Angelica do together in real life. For instance, the book states how Grandma Francisca used to make sock dolls when she was little and how she now makes sock dolls with Angelica. Then, the book has a written description with steps and illustrations on how to make a sock doll. In addition, after the book discusses how Francisca and Angelica make Calabacitas, which is a vegetable stew, the book provides a recipe to make the dish. By including activities, the author provides a deeper understanding into the everyday life of Grandma Francisca.
Overall, the author seeks to demonstrate the main message of the book as one that relates to family and how each family is different. The author displays a close look into one life and then provides opportunities for the reader to see and participate in activities that are described. Furthermore, at the end of the story, the author provides ways for one to learn more about one’s own family through interviews, family albums, and family trees. Thus, the big message of the story is about family and viewing the variation between different families. ( )

I loved this book for its activities and how it teaches Spanish. Throughout the book the author puts in activities to do with your family. For example, on page 21, there are instructions on how to make a sock doll. This book also teaches some Spanish words. On page 11, the phrase "Tequiero Much" is shown with its English translation next to it. The main idea of this book is learning about your family and how they grew up. ( )