La Noche Buena: A Christmas Story »

Antonio Sacre is a Cuban-American writer, storyteller, and performance artist. He lives in Los Angeles. Visit him online at www.antoniosacre.com.

Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City and lives in northern California. She illustrated Ava Tree and the Wishes Three and Carmen Learns English. Visit her online at www.andillustrations.com.

Nina is visiting her grandmother in Miami for Christmas. Usually she spends it in snowy New England with her mother and her family, but this year is different. She isn’t certain what to make of a hot and humid holiday, until she learns the traditions of her father’s side of the family from her Cuban grandmother. She helps prepare for the evening and takes part in all their traditions—the intricate cooking for the feast, the dancing, the music, and the gathering of relatives and neighbors. It all comes together for a Noche Buena that Nina will never forget.

Antonio Sacre and Angela Dominguez have created a wonderful story that everyone who celebrates Christmas will enjoy. The book includes a glossary of Spanish words.

Publishers Weekly

An initially anxious narrator visits the Cuban side of her family in Miami for the holidays, but Christmas with palm trees and no snow feels strange. Easing herself into new experiences, she describes the family's traditions: "I bring countless jars of marinade to the men, who pour it over the roasting pig." Dominguez's bright acrylics convey calm and joy, while Sacre's visceral prose captures the voice of a child gaining assurance, as well as the kindness and mutual respect of a loving extended family. Ages 4–8. (Nov.)