author: Pat Mora
illustrator: Enrique O. Sanchez
Lee & Low, 1996
grades 1-4
Mexican American
In Mora’s short poems, in English with Spanish words seamlessly woven in, a little girl joins birds, ranitas, bees and wind to sing a morning song to the sun, hears all the colors of the sounds, tries to catch the morning wind, watches a carver awakening an animal, “asleep in a piece of wood,” sees dragons and caballitos in the sky, smells cinnamon and anise the panadero’s sweet secrets; remembers the cascarones, filled with confetti; and sits on Abuelita’s lap, where she can listen to cuentos and tell about her day.
Each short poem on the left side is set into a background of bright colors, which are muted into the softer tones and images on the right. Sanchez’s acrylic paintings also reflect both the meanings and rhythms of the poems; together, the words and pictures glow.
Confetti is a gentle love song to the Southwest, and to Mexican-American family, culture and community. This title is highly recommended.
—Beverly Slapin
(published 4/6/2013)
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