Cascarones: An Easter ­Surprise/Una sorpresa de Pascuas

K-Gr 3–A family prepares for a Pascuas celebration in this fun bilingual picture book. A young girl quickly befriends readers as she shares her love for Easter and for the celebration her family has every year—one which is full of cascarones. Beginning in January, she and her family carefully save eggshells by cleaning them. When they have enough, they color and decorate them together, filling them with confetti. As Easter nears, they prepare baskets for relatives and put the finishing touches on their decorated eggs. When the day arrives, Papá hides the eggs in the park and the family looks for them together. The narrator shows her little brother a secret at the end: cracking an egg on his head and enjoying his surprise as the confetti fills the air around him. Bilingual text in English and Spanish shares the girl’s enthusiasm and love for the holiday and for cascarones, from the moment they begin saving egg shells to the moment they release the confetti. Beautiful watercolor illustrations are reminiscent of the lovely shades cascarones can take on as they are painted and emphasize the enthusiasm, love, and happiness the family shares, as well as the joy the holiday tradition brings them all.