Children's Book about Perseverance Archives -

Kids Picture Book – Bella’s Recipe for Success

BELLA’S RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Written by Ana Siqueira

Illustrated by Geraldine Rodriguez

(Beaming Books; $17.99, Ages 4-7)

It only takes a quick glance at the title to know that we’re in for a treat! In Bella’s Recipe for Success, the debut picture book by Ana Siqueira, we can assume that Bella, the Latina main character, will be engaging in disastrous recipes, resulting in a delicious and successful outcome.

int art pg5-6 Bellas Recipe — Interior art from Bella’s Recipe for Success written by Ana Siqueira and illustrated by Geraldine Rodriguez, Beaming Books ©2021.

The story begins with Bella and her Abuela in the kitchen. As her siblings brag about piano playing and cartwheeling, Bella wonders about herself. She attempts to discover her own talents but loses hope and resigns herself to not being good at anything. Taking comfort with her Abuela, she asks to make polvorones con dulce de leche. To Bella’s surprise, her brother and sister make mistakes too. So she persists. Sometimes the dough is hard as a rock. Other times it crumbles apart. But Bella keeps trying. She beats, blends, stirs, and bakes her way to success! In the end, she realizes that she is good at more than baking polvorones!

int art pg7-8 Bellas Recipe — Interior spread from Bella’s Recipe for Success written by Ana Siqueira and illustrated by Geraldine Rodriguez, Beaming Books ©2021.

Ana Siqueira does a great job writing language that reads quickly and light in the spirit of cheering Bella up. She creates delightful similes comparing her somersaults to jirafas rolling downhill and dulce de leche to cocodrilo skin. Spanish words are easily understood through context and round out the setting in the Latinx, intergenerational home. Playful images by illustrator Geraldine Rodriguez also capture Bella’s emotional journey making this an engaging book for young readers.

int art pg13-14 Bellas Recipe — Interior spread from Bella’s Recipe for Success written by Ana Siqueira and illustrated by Geraldine Rodriguez, Beaming Books ©2021.

This book reinforces that everyone makes mistakes and that they are okay and even necessary to achieve success. It is el perfecto libro for kids who might need a little boost in confidence.

A sweet bonus: The polvorones con dulce de leche cookie recipe at the end of the story. Are you ready to put your baking talents to the test?

Guest Review by Moni Ritchie Hadley
Author of The Star Festival
@bookthreader

BUY THE BOOK

Order signed copies of BELLA’S SECRET FOR SUCCESS here.

or from the publisher here: Bella’s Recipe for Success | Beaming Books

SOCIAL MEDIA

Find more about Ana and her books at: https://anafiction.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SraSiqueira1307

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asiqueira1307/?hl=en

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20267025.Ana_Siqueira

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/asiqueira1307/_saved/

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Geraldine Rodriguez: https://thebrightagency.com/us/publishing/artists/geraldine-rodriguez

Twitter: @GeryRdz

Instagram: @geryrdzart

Deborah Marcero Presents Ursa’s Light

October 11, 2017
goodreadswithronna
Action & Adventure, Ages 4-8, Animals - Bears, Children's Book Reviews, Emotions & Feelings, Juvenile Fiction, Juvenile Fiction - Family Juvenile Fiction - Animals, Perseverance

URSA’S LIGHT
Written and illustrated by Deborah Marcero
(Peter Pauper Press; $16.99, Ages 4-8)

★ Starred Review – Booklist

As a preschool teacher, it is not lost on me when a child has a BIG idea, but may need some help executing the plan. Ursa’s Light, the debut picture book by author and illustrator Deborah Marcero, is about a young bear, Ursa, who has BIG ideas that often leave her peers and parents scratching their heads in wonder.

Ursa the bear knows that she is meant to FLY. She studies animals and planes in flight, intent on finding a solution, often encouraged by her baby brother. Just when she is about to give up, we discover that she was indeed meant to fly, but there is more than one way to SOAR.

Interior artwork from Ursa's Light by Deborah Marcero — Interior spread from Ursa’s Light written and illustrated by Deborah Marcero, Peter Pauper Press ©2016.

One of my favorite moments in the story is when Ursa’s failed attempts at flying make her doubt herself, and her baby brother is wearing a shirt that reads ‘believe.’ What a beautiful moment, and something I strive to teach my kids, when one of us is down, someone else can help lift us UP.

What is so brilliant about Ursa the bear, is that she isn’t attempting to outshine anyone; instead, she is allowing her unique inner light to pour out, inspiring not only her baby brother, but everyone around her.

I fell in love with the energy and emotion of the illustrations which Marcero’s website describes best here: “When the pencil is done… I ink the lines in and add color with all the media I had used all along : woodblock cuts, watercolor, gouache, ink wash, etc. But instead of meshing everything together on paper with scissors and glue, I taught myself how to collage them in Photoshop. Ursa’s face is that same woodblock cut as my very first piece above, and all the textures and colors I integrate are things that I come up with using brushes and inks and watercolors on my drawing table.” I hope it’s obvious how much I adore this book and can’t wait to bring in Ursa’s Light for my preschoolers! I have a feeling they are going to want me to help them fly too!