Bella's Recipe for Success - Hardcover

Siqueira, Ana

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1506468101 ISBN 13: 9781506468105

Publisher: Beaming Books, 2021

Synopsis

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

Bella wants to find out what she's good at. But she quits everything she (barely) tries because she's a disaster at it. Her somersaults are like clumsy jirafas rolling downhill, her piano playing like elephant feet. When she decides to learn how to bake with her wise old abuela, her first attempt at dulce de leche frosting looks like scaly cocodrilo skin. She must learn it's okay to try again or she won't be good at anything. Peppered with Spanish vocabulary and set in an intergenerational Latinx home, Bella's Recipe for Success will show all kids the value of practicing to learn a new skill, and that it's okay to make mistakes along the way.

A recipe for Polvorones con Dulce de Leche is included at the back of the book so kids can have fun making their own.

About this title

About the Authors

Ana Siqueira is a Spanish-language elementary teacher and an award-winning Brazilian children's book author based in Tampa, Florida. Her picture books include Bella's Recipe for Success, Vera La Valiente Is Scared, If Your Babysitter Is a Bruja, and Abuela's Super Capa, among many others. Ana is also a global educator, a PBS Media innovator, and an SCBWI member. She lives in Palm Harbor, Florida, with her husband and loves to play with her Cuban-Brazilian-American grandkids.

Geraldine Rodríguez is a Mexican illustrator and digital artist who enjoys telling stories through colors and lines. In addition to Bella's Recipe for Success, Geraldine is the illustrator of Cinco de Mayo and the Adventures of Samuel Oliver series.

Reviews

Gr 1–3—Bella's hermano can play the piano with his eyes closed, and her hermana is excellent at flipping and cartwheels like an expert gymnast. Bella tries to play the piano and flip in the air like her siblings, but her attempts are less than fabulous. When Bella asks Abuela to help her bake polvorones, Mexican cookies filled with dulce de leche, her first attempts don't come out quite as they should, and she becomes discouraged. Abuela nudges her to try again, and Bella begins to notice that even her piano-playing brother and somersaulting sister make mistakes, but each time they do they make sure to keep trying. Filled with renewed resolve, Bella tries and tries again, until the yummy treats are perfect and delicious! Colorful backdrops and an interesting narrative featuring a universal conflict make this title perfect for kids who are not quite ready for chapter books. A recipe for polvorones is included. Bella and her family have brown skin. VERDICT This intergenerational tale about family traditions and grit will be a welcome addition to emerging or transitional readers' shelves.—Selenia Paz, Harris County P.L., Houston

Edition details

• Publisher: Beaming Books
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1506468101
• ISBN 13: 9781506468105
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Rodríguez Geraldine
• Number of pages: 32