Book Review of "With Lots of Love" by Jenny Torres Sanchez

 1. Bibliography

Torres Sanchez, J. 2022. With lots of love. (Ceolin, A.) Viking Books for Young Readers.

ISBN: 9780593205006

2. Plot Summary

In this heartfelt story we follow a young girl named Rocio who has just moved to the

United States. She longs for her Abuela who has made a great impact on her life and

begins to wish for the things she experienced with her in Mexico. When her birthday

comes around, she is met with a great gift from her Abuela with all her favorite things

that reminded her of her home in Mexico. We see the bond that is so special between

children and their grandparents in this beautiful story.

3. Critical Analysis

In this story we met Rocio who has just moved to a new city. Rocio was living with her

Abuela, who is also an important character in this story. We see Rocio with long brown

hair and her grandmother has grey braids and is wearing colorful wraps and dresses. This

is very traditional when you are reading about Spanish cultures. The story talks about

how Abuela’s store smelled and what sounds could be heard like the rustling of pinatas.

This story is full of heartfelt words that connect Rocio to her Abuela. We see two

different settings in the story, the first is Rocio’s house in the US and the second is

Abuela’s house and town. Abuela’s town has children running on dirt roads and houses

that are colorful and connected. While Rocio’s home has a view of downtown with lots

of tall buildings in the distance. The cultural details in this story are everywhere, the

grocery store that sells pan dulce and pinatas, Abuela who makes bunuelos, sweet coffee,

and tortillas, and then you have Rocio’s family who wakes her up signing “Las

Mananitas.” You can also see the cultural references in the illustrations of the story.

There is a page in the book with all Spanish words written on paper to show the language

spoken between Rocio and her Abuela. You can see colorful pinatas and maracas used by

the family. Overall, this story is rich with cultural values and shows the love and care

that Spanish children have with their grandparents. The illustrations are colorful and

inviting and show the different ways the Spanish culture is represented. This story shows

how hard it can be to be far away from a loved one but also shows that there are different

ways that you can feel connected to someone as well.

4. Review Excerpt(s)

"Ceolin’s striking, pattern-rich illustrations and vibrant color palette complement

sensory-oriented text...in a touching story about intergenerational love and connection."

–Publishers Weekly

5. Connections

*Students could draw a picture about what they would send in a care package for a family

member or friend and then write about why they chose those items.

*Students could also use a map to locate where Rocio lives in relation to where her

Abuela lives. They then could do this same activity with their family and other family

members. Compare and contrast how far or close some family members live.