MISTACO

After enduring a humiliating incident, Izzy just wants to be left alone.

Izzy’s “the PRESIDENT of mistakes.” She dribbles queso on her homework, steps in dog poo, and knocks her sibling’s toothbrush into the toilet. After making an especially embarrassing gaffe at school one day, Izzy’s in no mood for a family get-together, but it’s tortilla night! Izzy and her Abuelito (Lito) start rolling dough in the kitchen, but frustrated Izzy keeps messing up. Lito eats her ill-shapen tortillas and lends a sympathetic ear as she reveals what happened earlier. Lito rolls a fresh tortilla and encourages Izzy to “fill” it by retelling her story. Together, they create a mistake taco, or “mistaco,” as Izzy dubs it, and munch on the results. The exercise in openness proves to be tasty, and other family members share past blunders and craft their own mistacos. With her authorial debut, Pura Belpré Honor–winning illustrator Kinkz conveys a message all kids need to hear: Everyone makes mistakes, and owning them can bring relief and even joy. Her signature, scribbly cartoons brim with chaos, capturing the energy of a boisterous, tightknit Latine family. In Izzy, Kinkz has created a fully realized youngster who’s equal parts goofy exuberance and vulnerable insecurity. Izzy’s family members vary in skin tone and speak a mix of Spanish and English; an author’s note offers insight into this blend of languages, known as Spanglish.

A deliciously effervescent celebration of family and resilience.