MAMÁ'S MAGNIFICENT DANCING PLANTITAS

Little Jesús assumes his most significant role yet: caring for his Mamá’s beloved plantitas.

While Mamá watches her novela, a bored Jesús does chores, resulting in a mess. So Mamá comes up with an idea. Can Jesús be a big brother to her plants while she enjoys some TV time? Jesús is thrilled; an only child, he welcomes the idea of having plant siblings. With the self-appointed title of Chief Plant Officer, Jesús gets to work the next day. He cleans up the soil around the snake plant, chills out with the bunny ear cactus, and checks in with the Swiss cheese plant. When Jesús notices that Mamá’s cherished golden pothos plant looks a little sad one afternoon, he throws an impromptu dance party to cheer it up. Unfortunately, he knocks the plant over. “Ooooh noooo! Man down!” With Papá’s assistance, Jesús and Mamá come together to ensure her plantita looks better than ever. A companion to the resplendent Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock (2023), Trejo and Kinkz’s latest collaboration amuses with similar madcap humor and shenanigans, focusing on the supportive mother-son relationship briefly glimpsed in the earlier book. As always, the miniature scamp’s hijinks and wry observations bring the laughs—though the antics feel a little over-the-top this time—to the forefront, matched in zany intensity by the bright, frenetic illustrations and abundant speech bubbles that break up the main text. Characters are Latine. Publishes simultaneously in Spanish.

Another enthusiastic romp.