Adela’s Mariachi Band

Adela loves everything about her family’s mariachi band (“how the music skips and bounces.... how her family dances and claps”)—except “the fact that she isn’t in it.” But her early attempts at playing various instruments and joining the dancers quickly reveal that becoming proficient will take a long time (“When Papá plays la trompeta, big, beautiful sounds burst out.... When Adela tries it, a small, fizzly sound dribbles out,” Vega writes). Frustrated with her attempts, Adela makes a drawing of beloved mariachi elements that presages her own participation. Rodriguez Medina’s warm-toned digital illustrations offer texture and depth to a story that conveys one child’s early attempts at being part of something she loves. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note and sources conclude. Ages 4–7. (Aug.)

Correction: A previous version of this review misstated the illustrator's name.