The Santero's Miracle: A Bilingual Story (Americas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature. Commended (Awards))
Grade 1-4–Andrés's grandpa Don Jacobo is a master santero, a carver of wooden saints, and the 10-year-old helps him make a statue of San Isidro during his holiday break from school. When a New Mexico snowstorm blocks the roads, a miracle involving the wooden saint allows an ambulance to get to a sick neighbor and the boy's parents and sister to arrive in time for Christmas. The story is presented in both English and Spanish, and the Spanish terms sprinkled throughout the English text are explained in a glossary. The plot is a bit thin, but the creative Don Jacobo is a wonderful character and his relationship with Andrés is strong and warm, a good match to the gorgeous paintings in the blue, turquoise, and red clay colors of the Southwest.–E. M.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.