Tamales for Christmas

“When the weather changes, but way before the Christmas tree is decorated, Grandma prepares.” Inspired, per an author’s note, by his own grandmother, Briseño chronicles a matriarch’s tamale production leading up to Christmas, as “with masa in one hand, corn husks in the other,” she makes enough tamales to sell—finding a way “to fill the space underneath the tree.” Via energetic, reiterative text that tracks the woman’s incredible progress, spreads note first how the initial 15 dozen are sold by the speaker’s father “in the cool of the morning... to his co-workers and friends.” At Halloween, Grandma works between trick-or-treaters, reaching 150 dozen tamales. As winter arrives, she’s “just warming up,” her count soon reaching 850 dozen, and then, by Christmas, a whopping 1,000 dozen. In illustrations rendered digitally with handmade brushes and textures, Sánchez uses warm hues for bustling domestic scenes, while text affectionately details the woman’s attributes (giving, funny, tenacious) and helps readers track the tamale count. It’s a triumphant work jam-packed with activity and pure familial love. The Latinx-cued family is portrayed with various skin tones. A tamale recipe concludes. Publishes simultaneously in English and Spanish. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)