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The Fiesta Dress: A Quinceanera Tale Hardcover – March 1, 2009

by Caren McNelly McCormack (Author), Martha Aviles (Illustrator)

4.2 75 ratings

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It’s the day of Lolo’s big sister’s quinceañera party, and suddenly everyone is too busy to play with Lolo. But when she lets her dog Gobi run free, everyone notices. Vivid illustrations in acrylics and watercolor by Martha Avilés skillfully portray Lolo using her fast feet and wits to outsmart Gobi and save her big sister’s special day!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 1—Everyone is preparing for Eva's quinceañera (15th birthday) party. No one is paying attention to little sister Lola. In her boredom, she lets the dog out of the laundry room. Gobi quickly runs off with Eva's white sash and it's up to Lola to get it back. When she saves the day, everyone finally notices her. The upbeat acrylics and liquid watercolor on Arches paper capture the excitement and gaiety of the family gathering and this special occasion. Everyone is smiling and upbeat. Even the dilemma is dealt with in a positive manner. Avilés's style is similar to the one she used in Mimi Chapra's Amelia's Show-and-Tell Fiesta (HarperCollins, 2004), and the two stories would complement each other nicely. Children will enjoy this offering and understand Lola's frustration and eventual delight in her sister's celebration.—Sandra Welzenbach, Villarreal Elementary School, San Antonio, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Little Lolo is used to receiving attention from family and friends, whether it is for her ballerina twirls or for tree-climbing. But on the day of her big sister Eva’s quinceañera, everyone is too busy to notice Lolo. Surely her dog, Gobi, will play; but when he runs off with Eva’s dress sash, mayhem ensues. Happily, Lola knows just what to do to get the sash back, and although Lolo is gently chided for letting Gobi out, all is forgiven and the story ends well, in celebration. Detailed acrylic-and-watercolor illustrations in a rich, muted palette portray the expressive, cartoon-style characters in all their whirling activity—cooking, playing video games, hanging lights. Lolo’s lively first-person narrative is filled with active words (“tias . . . scooped, patted, wrapped, and tied . . . tamales”), dialogue, and a few Spanish terms that are defined in an appended glossary (which lacks pronunciation). Children will sympathize with pigtailed Lolo’s feelings, even as they appreciate her family’s affection and the reassuring ending. Grades K-2. --Shelle Rosenfeld

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0761454675
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Two Lions (March 1, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780761454670
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0761454670
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 3 - 13 years, from customers
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ AD600L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 3
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.75 x 0.25 x 9.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,500,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,535 in Children's Hispanic & Latino Books
- #3,472 in Children's Books about Birthdays
- #8,028 in Children's Siblings Books (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.2 75 ratings

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Caren McNelly McCormack

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Growing up in Texas, Caren McNelly McCormack watched many friends celebrate their quinceañeras (15th birthday parties). She is an award winning author for Highlights for Children and other publications. The Fiesta Dress is her first picture book. She lives in Los Altos, California, with her husband and two daughters, who all love a good fiesta.

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Music

Best Book Ever (says my 7 year old)!!!

Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2015

Verified Purchase

This is one of our favorite books...even my son enjoys it. It's about a Quincenera (a festive party for a 15 year old girl, when she comes of age), but can easily be read by children who don't speak any Spanish or understand Quincenera. My 7 year old says it's "the best book ever!!!". We've been reading it (from the library) for a few years and finally bought it for our permanent collection.
It's about the little girl and her relatives who are getting ready for the party (her aunts are making tamales, the uncles decorating the yard, the friends all doing their hair, etc.) She wants to be more involved and gets the dog to play but he escapes and grabs a part of her sister's Quincenera dress and takes off. She is able to get the dog and sash back and everyone dotes on her. The book ends at the party. It's a very upbeat book with great pictures and a fun tale. You can't go wrong!

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ian_alexander

A book with wonderful storytelling

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2010

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This is another case that after reading it from a library copy we fell in love and bought one for ourselves.

I picked this up also unintentionally, but it turned out to be a big hit. My not yet 3 year old daughter loved to see Eva's pink dress and how Lolo used the tamale to get her sister's white sash back. She asked me to read it for her again and again, so many times that she could even re-tell the story herself to her little doll! Now that she has some other interesting books to read, she would still pick up this one sometimes.

The book has a nice story, not too simple nor too complicated, and the drawings are vivid and fun. I recommended it to a friend of mine and her daughter liked it also.

2 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Beautiful illustrations, enjoyable story

Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2013

Verified Purchase

I am always looking to expose my children to as many different cultures as possible, and this book fit the bill for me. I am quite picky about what I expose my kids to, and what messages are sent by books, so I was initially wary about some of the reviews that suggested that the main character was too concerned about being the focus of attention. This is a message I definitely would not want to convey to my children. However, I took a chance on the $1 Kindle edition, and I'm glad I did. To me, the young girl is not obnoxious. Her parents and much older sister adore her and give her lots of attention, and she happens to play second fiddle on this day. However, my opinion is that this is not a case of spoiling nor brattiness; it's simply the young child's perception of things, somewhat accurately, because she seems to be the baby of the entire extended family. You don't have to worry about the older sister not being loved or adored by her parents. She is approx. 10 years older and simply in a very different sort of relationship with her parents.

I also had no problem with the fact that a "quinceanera" was not explicitly explained. In fact, I thought the use of inductive reasoning was great. Context clues do wonders, and parents should talk through books with their kids. Lots of Spanish words were used without explanation, and again, I liked that. It gives the child a chance to consider what that word could mean, again using context clues.

One person found this helpful

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Nicolas G.

Easy and fun read! Relatable for kids and adults!!!

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2019

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My daughter loves this book. She loves the story line of the little mischievous girl. We also love that there is a Spanish influence and words in the book. There is also a dictionary in the back of the book with the Spanish words and what they mean in English. Would highly recommend this book for a little girl who loves to get into some trouble 🤪

Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2023

Verified Purchase

The book was filthy. The back was covered in sticky yellow stuff. One of the pages had a piece torn off and the whole book had been folded/crinkled.

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CAROIDA

What's a Quinceanera?

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2013

Verified Purchase

This beautifully illustrated childrens' book tells girls and their grandmothers all about the 15-year-old's Quinceanera, what it means, how it's celebrated, its traditions, with a delightful story of what happened to the very important dress. My granddaughter celebrated hers this year, and showing this book to my friends made explaining the tradition of another culture much simpler. Luckily I found this Amazon bargain book while browsing.

One person found this helpful

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Faanchi Liu

Helped me understand a social custom

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2011

Verified Purchase

Since I live in Arizona, which is close to Mexico, I'd heard about quinceanara parties from Spanish-speaking friends of mine. They explained to me how the fiesta and mass celebrates a 15-year-old girl comes of age. I thought the book did a good job of showing the stress of prepping for a Quinceanara, and the fun, too.

One person found this helpful

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