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“Gorgeous artwork on big full pages is lovely to look at, and the limited Spanish vocabulary in the text makes this a good choice for beginners.”

—Booklist

“This bilingual picture book offering from Chicano and Indigenous author Ruiz follows siblings Luna and Sol as they unravel the secret behind their grandmother’s magical remedies.”

—Publishers Weekly

Nana Lupita and the Magic Sopita

Written by Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz
Illustrated by Carlos Vélez
Published by Gibbs Smith

Luna and her little brother, Sol, are out to solve a mystery! They suspect that their grandmother uses magic to create her remedies because she says that she uses a “magic” ingredient.

At the beginning of the story Luna and Sol catch colds so their grandmother makes a healing soup. Luna overhears Nana singing a classic Spanish children’s song about frog tails while cooking the soup, so Luna secretly thinks that frogs are the magic ingredient. The children explore the enchanted garden in search of frogs until it is time to eat, in which Nana reveals the real secret ingredient. Can you guess what it is?

This sweet semi-bilingual story includes a seek-and-find of traditional plants used in curanderismo and includes the recipe for Nana’s magic soup!

Written by renowned healer Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz, Nana Lupita and the Magic Sopita is inspired the author’s grandmother, who was a curandera (a traditional healer of Mexican heritage).

Check Out More Mi Hermosa Familia (My Beautiful Family) tales:

Primary ISBN:
Publication Date: July 2024
Available As: Hardcover, eBook
Picture Book, Age 03 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States (Arizona)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Unknown Arrival

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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