Esme's Birthday Conga Line

July 1, 2022

Gr 1-3-It's Esme's birthday, and she is very excited to celebrate. After receiving a beautiful guitar as a gift from her grandparents, Esme excitedly declares that she will play it for everyone at her party. There's just one problem-her grandparents, who Esme recently moved in with, have not arranged one. Unperturbed, Esme immediately puts together a plan and begins inviting all the residents of her apartment building to her celebration as well as assigning them party-related tasks to complete. The party that concludes this beginner chapter book is humorous and heartwarming. Chapters range in length from approximately six to 10 pages; every spread features a bright, colorful illustration of varying size from Valdez. The use of repetitive phrases makes this an excellent choice for newly independent readers transitioning out of leveled/easy readers. Esme and her grandparents are Latinx, while the other residents of the apartment building are diverse. Fans of series such as "Junie B. Jones," "Zoey and Sassafras," and "Ivy + Bean" will enjoy Esme's strong sense of self, problem-solving skills, comical antics, and commitment to her community. VERDICT Readers will look forward to more adventures with Esme in this welcome addition to early chapter book collections; recommended for purchase.-Olivia Gorecke

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July 29, 2022
Grades 1-4 Esme lives on the top floor of an apartment building with her grandparents. On her birthday, Mimi and Pipo present her with a guitar but not the big shindig she was also expecting. Undeterred, Esme shrugs it off: "That's how it is with grandparents. They don't know about parties or pi�atas. They don't know about birthday cake or music." Taking event planning into her own capable hands, the lovable, high-spirited child cleverly conscripts, cajoles, and coerces neighbours into arranging a perfecto party. Esme gets things done with lots of help from her friends. Her precocious, comically irrepressible, and a little bit bossy-pants personality shines through the first-person narration. Organized into 12 short chapters, the playful text features zippy dialogue, bullet-pointed lists, and plenty of pleasing repetition for beginning readers. Valdez's colourful, animated cartoon illustrations extend the celebratory fun and offer a peek inside apartments on each floor of the "topmost best building." Like the best bashes, this early-reader series debut is amusing and inviting.

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