Esme's Birthday Conga Line. Lourdes Heuer. Illustrated by Marissa Valdez. 2022. [May] 76 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: I live on the uppermost floor of the topmost best building! Today is my birthday. It is the first birthday I am celebrating since moving in with Mimi and Pipo. "Happy Birthday, Esme!" says Mimi. "Happy Birthday, Esmerelda!" says Pipo. "Meow," says El Toro. Mimi and Pipo place a gift in my hands. It's a big one! It's...
Premise/plot: Esme is SUPER happy to be celebrating her birthday. However, she'll be planning her own birthday party. (And she likes it!) Her birthday plans include the whole apartment building. It will be a very festive day!
My thoughts: Joyous. That's how I'd describe this one. Though adult readers may pause a second or two to consider what may be going behind the scenes and between the lines, the text of this one is just joyfully joyous. Esme is a happy (even happy-go-lucky) protagonist. I love how quickly she turns her ever-so-brief disappointment that her grandparents didn't plan a party for her to excitement that she gets to plan her own party and include the whole building.
© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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