Review by Ashley Hope Pérez
Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit
Book Author: Zetta Elliott
PUBLISHER’S DESCRIPTION: Max wants to visit a beautiful boutique that sells handmade dolls, but he worries that other children will tease him. When he finally finds the courage to enter the store, Max meets Señor Pepe who has been making dolls since he was a boy in Honduras. Señor Pepe shares his story with Max and reminds him that, “There is no shame in making something beautiful with your hands. Sewing is a skill—just like hitting a baseball or fixing a car.”
MY TWO CENTS: Max Loves Muñecas interweaves a number of topics: resisting the constraints of traditional gender roles, child homelessness, resourcefulness and resilience, and the value of cooperation and generosity. In the hands of a lesser writer, these many focal points might overpower a slim chapter book of 72 pages, but Zetta Elliott creates a richly textured narrative world and situations that give readers opportunities to pause, consider their own lives, and reflect on the power of individual choices. Continue reading.
You can purchase the book from author Zetta Elliott’s website in English or Spanish.
Find more recommended books on this topic on our Latinx and Latin American booklist.
Max Loves Muñecas! by Zetta Elliott
Published by Createspace Independent Pub on May 4th 2014
Genres: Latinx
Pages: 72
Reading Level: Grades 6-8
ISBN: 9781497353831
Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit
Also by this author: The Door at the Crossroads, Milo's Museum, Dragons in a Bag
Max wants to visit a beautiful boutique that sells handmade dolls, but he worries that other children will tease him. When he finally finds the courage to enter the store, Max meets Señor Pepe who has been making dolls since he was a boy in Honduras. Señor Pepe shares his story with Max and reminds him that, “There is no shame in making something beautiful with your hands. Sewing is a skill--just like hitting a baseball or fixing a car.”
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