DOÑA ESMERALDA, WHO ATE EVERYTHING!

Doña Esmeralda will slurp up anything with her magic straw, but what happens when she finally bites off more than she can chew?

Doña Esmeralda is a hero to children everywhere. All they have to do is say, “I don’t want to eat this,” and she sneaks along and sucks up their yucky giniling or zucchini bread. But someone, even a tiny, ancient, magical someone, can only eat gross leftovers for so long before getting curious about what else is out there that children DO want to eat. Once she starts, she cannot stop herself! Chicken nuggets, hamburgers, pizza, samosas, bulgogi, and more—all get sucked up through her straw, until the inevitable happens and…BOOM! Doña Esmeralda explodes, and without her, the children must learn to eat the food they don’t like themselves, but they still keep an eye out for her, just in case. Though the text is lengthy and at times clunky, the premise of the story is fun, and the illustrations are bright and vibrant, full of silly antics. Doña Esmeralda has light skin and a black bouffant; the children depicted throughout are diverse. In an author’s note, de la Cruz explains that she drew inspiration from the Filipino legend of the aswang and sought to honor the Filipino foods she ate growing up; included is her mother’s recipe for lumpia. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A cute but wordy offering that will have children peeking under tables in search of the titular character.