Magda's Tortillas / Las Tortillas de Magda

Gr 2-4-Magda Madrigal is turning seven years old and her grandmother has promised to teach her how to make tortillas. She knows it is important to copy her grandmother's every move so that her tortillas will turn out round and perfectly formed. But it isn't as easy as it looks. All of Magda's attempts result in fanciful shapes: stars, hearts, bananas, hexagons, and lakes. She is very frustrated by what she sees as her failed attempts until she hears her family's delight and bathes in their praise of her first tortillas. Unfortunately for this heartwarming story, the Spanish text does not read as smoothly as the English. The translator tried too hard to render the English phrases into Spanish, resulting in stilted syntax. Despite this weakness, the translation is serviceable, and the subject covered will be well received by Mexican American readers for portraying their culture. The full-color illustrations feature a wide-eyed Magda in every scene. The artist has done a wonderful job of depicting a handsome Hispanic American family. A great pick for story-time activities in school and public libraries. Recommended for all bilingual collections. M.O.B.