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Description
Esme always has a plan. A funny and sweet early illustrated chapter book about a problem-solving girl who has to manage her own birthday bash. For fans of Dory Fantasmagory. Esme lives with her grandparents on the uppermost floor of the topmost best building. It's her birthday. Mimi and Pipo gave her a beautiful guitar. But they didn't plan a birthday party. Esme thinks this is the way with grandparents. They don't know about parties or piñatas or birthday cake. No problem! Esme is great at problem solving. With the help of her cat, El Toro, and a LOT of help from her neighbors in the topmost best building, the irrepressible Esme gets the birthday party of her dreams.
Gr 1-3--It's Esme's birthday, and she is very excited to celebrate. After receiving a beautiful guitar as a gift from her grandparents, Esme excitedly declares that she will play it for everyone at her party. There's just one problem--her grandparents, who Esme recently moved in with, have not arranged one. Unperturbed, Esme immediately puts together a plan and begins inviting all the residents of her apartment building to her celebration as well as assigning them party-related tasks to complete. The party that concludes this beginner chapter book is humorous and heartwarming. Chapters range in length from approximately six to 10 pages; every spread features a bright, colorful illustration of varying size from Valdez. The use of repetitive phrases makes this an excellent choice for newly independent readers transitioning out of leveled/easy readers. Esme and her grandparents are Latinx, while the other residents of the apartment building are diverse. Fans of series such as "Junie B. Jones," "Zoey and Sassafras," and "Ivy + Bean" will enjoy Esme's strong sense of self, problem-solving skills, comical antics, and commitment to her community. VERDICT Readers will look forward to more adventures with Esme in this welcome addition to early chapter book collections; recommended for purchase.--Olivia Gorecke
Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
ALA/Booklist
Like the best bashes, this early-reader series debut is amusing and inviting.
LOURDES HEUER is a children's book author (Esme's Birthday Conga Line) and poet. She was born in Spain to Cuban immigrant parents, then moved to the United States in 1984 -- on an airplane! She holds an M.F.A. in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and is an Associate Professor of English at Broward College. She lives in South Florida with her husband, son and three dogs. SARA PALACIOS is the recipient of the Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Award for her work on Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match and has illustrated many picture books for children. Sara earned her B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees in illustration from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco where she lives with her husband.
