XOCHITL AND THE FLOWERS/XÓCHITL, LA NIÑA DE LAS FLORES

Angel’s expressive and teeming illustrations warmly complement the sweet temper of Argueta’s tale of an El Salvadoran family—daughter, mother, and father—living in San Francisco. While daughter Xochitl remembers the family flower business back home and thinks about the occasions for which they provided flowers—weddings, quinceañeras, the funerals of pets—Angel displays her thoughts like billboards on the buildings across the street. Soon her father is able to secure an apartment with a yard—once full of junk, but now to be a small nursery. As they joyously celebrate their grand opening, however, the landowner angrily appears, demanding they close shop: the apartment is residential, not business. Will their dream come true be shattered as soon as it begins? Xochitl employs a matter-of-fact voice in her narration, giving the events and her feelings of nostalgia the feel of a memoir. Full of love for family and community, this bilingual story embodies the belief that positive action can overcome the negatives of circumstance. (Picture book. 6-9)