  | Sari-Sari summers Author: Bontigao, Lynnor | |
| Price: $23.28 | ||
Summary:
Nora loves spending summers with Lola at her sari-sari store, a treasure trove filled with everything you could need. But when a heat wave strikes and no one comes to the store, Nora worries that she won't get to spend the rest of the summer with her lola-until she gets a sweet idea. After all, the mangoes on the tree outside are finally ripe, and with a bit of measuring, mixing, and a good deal of tasting, Nora and Lola have a refreshing way to bring people together-and to the sari-sari store.
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Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (02/15/23)
School Library Journal (06/01/23)
Booklist (04/01/23)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (02/00/23)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 04/01/2023 Nora loves that she gets to spend summers with her lola. Lola owns a sari-sari store in a bustling part of town, and for the first time, Nora is old enough to help her grandmother sell her wares. The sari-sari store is an exciting place, full of essential household products such as detergent and rice, as well as delightful novelties and toys. Readers get to share Nora’s eagerness as they are treated to a two-page spread depicting colorful, delectable items stacked neatly on the store shelves. When a heat wave causes customers to stay home, Nora and Lola come up with a clever plan to entice them back: they make mango ice candy! The plan works, and the enterprise expands to include ice candy of all flavors. This sweet story of intergenerational love will resonate with many readers. Meanwhile, an abundance of specific linguistic and cultural references integrated in both text and image will appeal to cultural insiders. Can be paired thematically with Quiet Time with My Seeya, by Dinalie Dabarera (2023). - Copyright 2023 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 06/01/2023 PreS-Gr 3—This is a love letter to grandparents who live far away and the special bond that develops when grandchildren get to spend time with them. Nora is so excited to visit her grandmother in the Philippines. She loves working with her lola in her sari-sari store, which sells nearly everything imaginable. Nora likes to help with measuring for the customers, but when a heat wave strikes and no one comes to the store, the child worries that Lola will send her home early. The mango tree just outside the store provides a delicious answer to their problems. The illustrations, digitally created, capture the busy street where the store is located as well as the love shared between Nora and her lola. A recipe for ice candy is included at the end of the book. VERDICT Celebrating the special bond between a child and an older relative, along with the setting and language details of the Philippines, makes this a highly recommended title.—John Scott - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
