Let's Eat!

In her buoyant first book, Zamorano, Vivas's daughter, good-naturedly exposes a familiar quandary: the difficulty of assembling all members of a family to share a meal. The young narrator explains how his close-knit Spanish clan each day gathers around a table made by Papa to enjoy empanadas, gazpacho or paella prepared by Mama--or at least most of the brood manages to show up. Each day a different relative is too busy--practicing dancing for the fiesta, telling a story, picking tomatoes--to come to the table. Then it is Mama's turn to be absent when she delivers her baby. Whether viewing this sunny, somewhat doughy-looking crew's repasts from above or below the table, Vivas's (I Went Walking; Our Granny) animated watercolors offer homely perspectives on a bustling dinner hour, when ""all of us talk at once""--with their hands, naturally--and abundant food is consumed with obvious gusto. Spanish phrases peppering the story are clear from their context; a brief glossary is also appended to this festive mother/daughter collaboration. Ages 4-7. (May)