Picadillo for Paulina by Ruth Behar, Gabriel Frye-Behar, and Erika Rodriguez Medina
Having a vegetarian base to the character is a unique way of introducing a food “lifestyle” (for health or personal reasons). The addition of the recipe shows how you can adapt one dish for this traditionally Cuban meat dish. Overall, sweet, I like the tension without it being too confrontational. The images are soft, and bubbly to help soften a somewhat serious story.
That is a basic description of the story. I would say that seems pretty clinical and cold. And it is far from that. It is alive, bouncy and fun. There are colors and the right amount of details to help move the story forward. Our main character is a bright, lively person and when her family dinner comes around, she is shy. So this makes her family wonder what is happening. And she allows her personality to shine through, allowing her personal beliefs to be heard and respected.
The cover gives you a lot of information about what you’ll see inside for the illustrations. Things are warm and brightly done but not overpowering. Overall, nothing POPS off the page, but nothing is flat either. It is a good book on diversity, food choices and family. It is just a nice book, with a lot of nice features that is a cozy read or book to listen to. It is a picture book that adapts itself to multiple ages (from listeners at least five and up, to reading solo). Due late August 2026, I read via an online reader.
