Pockets of Love

Two Latinx-cued siblings attempting to follow a family empanada recipe worry that they’re missing a key ingredient in this tender intergenerational story. After Grandma Monona’s death, young Sebi and Star miss their world-traveling grandmother. But “Mami misses Monona the most.” For Mami’s birthday—her first without Monona—the siblings plan to make empanadas, just like their grandmother did each year. The children contemplate the “secret ingredient” on Monona’s recipe card, shopping with Papi at the market. There, they tell their plans to Doña Rita, who explains how each country has its own version of the food—“little pockets filled with love and a taste from home.” Méndez sensitively emphasizes legacy alongside loss: the children pick flowers from the pots Monona planted, play her favorite song while cooking, and compare their empanada-crimping styles to hers. Palacios’s warm-hued illustrations—mustard yellow, avocado green, and terra cotta—portray cozy comfort throughout this story about love folded into a family’s favorite dish. An empanada recipe concludes. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)