Esperanza Caramelo, the Star of Nochebuena

September 1, 2023

K-Gr 3-In a magical kitchen full of bakery and pastry tools, a cake ornament comes to life. Esperanza Caramelo dances through the pages, bringing the other ornaments to life. Soon, it will be a celebration with cookie cutters, an abuelita, hot chocolate, dancing figures, and a Christmas tree that sits atop the cake. Nobody notices at first when a kitchen cat perks up and wants to play. In their dash to escape the cat, the cake and all the ornaments are overturned. It is up to the ornaments to make sure that the cake is presentable for Nochebuena. The next morning, the baker walks in with the cat on her shoulder. At this point, the narration breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience in the second person, bringing readers into the story: "the baker knew what you and I have all along-her pasteler�a had been gifted with a touch of magic." Atop and around the cake, mariachis, abuelas, dancing partners, children and sparklers, and family pets are featured as a celebration within a celebration. The last page displays a family's Christmas joy, paralleling the celebration that Esperanza Caramelo and the other figurines had the night before. Each page is a feast for the eyes. Back matter includes the author's photos of her own abuela's pastry creations. VERDICT Richly illustrated with vibrant colors, this picture book is sure to please.-Stephanie Creamer

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

On the eve of Nochebuena, a sugar figurine in a bake shop sprinkles a little magic to save a Navidad-themed cake. As night sweeps over the town, the fading golden sunlight falls upon a sugar figurine named Esperanza, "caked in dust and long forgotten." She awakens, twirling over to a festive holiday cake as a cat observes. The figurines on the cake remain still until Esperanza shares her sunlight. A singer, a guitarist, and a violinist bring forth music, mugs of punch with sugarcane and cinnamon sticks slip into eager hands, and Christmas blossoms are handed out to the figurine kids. Quite suddenly, the enthusiastic cat joins in, toppling over the Christmas tree atop the cake. A stunned silence fills the air. Is all hope lost? Esperanza and the other sugar figurines begin a long night's work, readying the cake for the holiday festivities to come. Inspired by her abuelita, a gifted baker, Valenti whips up a delectable tale of whimsical enchantment, with Spanish sprinkled throughout. Occasionally addressing readers directly, her narration has a lyrical feel, like a Christmas fairy tale. Chavarri's effervescent artwork offers an appealing depiction of Navidad, with all its baked-in promises of magic. Esperanza and the other figures are brown-skinned; guests at the Navidad party are diverse and cued as Latine. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Like a dash of sweetened wishes. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (Online Review)

September 15, 2023
Grades K-2 From the author of the middle-grade novel Loter�a (2021) and the creative mind of a Pura Belpr� Honor-winning illustrator comes a wonderful story inspired by Valenti's Mexican baker abuela and the elaborate sugar figurines she would create. This holiday-season story follows Esperanza, a Nochebuena cake ornament, as she comes to life from a magical ray of sunlight to arrange everything for the holiday and to spread a celebratory spirit. When a feline fiasco arises in the bakery, it's up to her to save the night and the rest of her kitchen companions. Valenti's wonder-filled addition to the holiday collection--vividly depicted by Chavarri's bright, exciting scenes--will have readers wishing they could visit Lita's Pasteler�a and meet Esperanza, whose name aptly means ""hope."" In several wordless scenes, the art is enough to evoke the magic filling the night, and the sweet backgrounds are full of delicious and delightful clues and plenty of other details to keep readers invested as they root for this unlikely heroine.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2023
It's Nochebuena eve in the pasteleria, "a night when wonder reigns, for those who believe in magic." In Nutcracker-like fashion, Esperanza, a sugar figurine, is brought to life and proceeds to wake up the rest of the characters adorning a Christmas-tree cake. When a mischievous cat knocks down the intricate dessert, the figurines work together to re-bake it. With mixed-media illustrations that seem to shimmer with sugar and fairy dust (and an appended note about the author's grandmother's real-life sugar creations), this book is sure to satisfy any reader's sweet tooth. Concurrently published in Spanish as Esperanza Caramelo, la estrella de Nochebuena. Monica de los Reyes

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)