Tamales For Christmas

PreS-Gr 2–The newest picture book from Briseño (The Notebook Keeper) is based on a true story from his own family. Before Christmas, Grandma prepares tamales in her kitchen at home to earn money for presents for all her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. As Halloween and Thanksgiving pass, she works hard, preparing the tamales night and day. The family helps when they can: Dad sells them to coworkers and friends, and other relatives pitch in to do chores so Grandma has more time for her work. As the story progresses, the number of tamales rises from 15 dozen to 1000 dozen. Painterly illustrations throughout show big smiles and lots of love within the family. Sánchez makes the work look fun and the tamales look delicious. Readers will be happy the tamale recipe is included at the end, along with a note and photograph from the author that provides more detail about his family’s holiday traditions with his grandmother.