Esme's Birthday Conga Line

by Lourdes Heuer, Marissa Valdez (Illustrator)

Overview

Esme always has a plan. A funny and sweet early illustrated chapter book about a problem-solving girl who has to manage her own birthday bash. For fans of Dory Fantasmagory.

Esme lives with her grandparents on the uppermost floor of the topmost best building. It's her birthday. Mimi and Pipo gave her a beautiful guitar. But they didn't plan a birthday party.

Esme thinks this is the way with grandparents. They don't know about parties or piñatas or birthday cake. No problem! Esme is great at problem solving.

With the help of her cat, El Toro, and a LOT of help from her neighbors in the topmost best building, the irrepressible Esme gets the birthday party of her dreams.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735269415
Publisher:	Tundra
Publication date:	05/10/2022
Series:	Esme!
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	76
Lexile:	500L (what's this?)
File size:	23 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

LOURDES HEUER is a children's book author and poet. She was born in Spain to Cuban immigrant parents, then moved to the United States in 1984. She holds an M.F.A. in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and is an Associate Professor of English at Broward College. She lives in South Florida with her husband, son and three dogs.

Originally from South Texas, MARISSA VALDEZ is a two times #1 NY Times bestselling children’s book illustrator and author. She’s a 2016 graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where she received a BFA in Animation. She loves to illustrate stories that are overflowing with humor, wit, and totally out-there situations. In her spare time, Marissa gets her illustration inspiration by wandering around natural science museums, watching super-cool dinosaur documentaries and playing with her two fat cats in Birmingham, UK.

Editorial Reviews

One of Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids 2022
One of Chicago Public Library's Best Fiction Books for Young Readers 2022
One of Betsy Bird's Best 2022 Early Chapter Book picks

"[H]umorous and heartwarming . . . Readers will look forward to more adventures with Esme in this welcome addition to early chapter book collections." —School Library Journal

"[T]he playful text features zippy dialogue, bullet-pointed lists, and plenty of pleasing repetition for beginning readers . . . Like the best bashes, this early-reader series debut is amusing and inviting." —Booklist

"This book sticks into your head and you keep wanting more.” —The BabySpot

From the Publisher

07/01/2022

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

School Library Journal