I really like this book for two main reasons. I really liked the characters in the story and I loved the illustrations in the book. This book was about two children that are neighbors, and they are trying to figure out how to make sure their mom has the best Mother’s Day yet. One of the neighbors, Diego, is from Mexico, and the story compares the two cultures and how they celebrate holidays. I really liked the characters in this story because they were well-developed and believable. Diego and Lucy are two young children trying to make sure their mom has the best Mother’s Day. Throughout the book, they compare the two different cultures and how they celebrate Mother’s Day. Not everything they do goes according to plan, but the mothers in the story were very believable and still appreciated what their children did. The characters in the story were very relatable and acted in ways that children reading the book could relate too. When Diego burned the tamales, his parents weren’t happy but no parent would be happy that their child was cooking alone. The characters really made the story flow well. I also loved the illustrations in the story. The illustrations enhanced the story and went along with the text. The illustrations were very colorful and really helped to tell the story. Also, on some pages, there were separate text boxes to give us more information about the traditions in Mexico. I thought this was very interesting and would be very helpful to young students reading this book. I think that the main message of this story is that it’s the thought that counts. This phrase was repeated in the story and it shows children that everything might not always go as we planned, but it is the thought that counts. The thought of doing the action is what makes someone else feel special.

Great read-aloud. Includes ideas for fun activities related to the book. Helps children to understand other cultures.