¡ESSIE! ¿OTRA VEZ? / AGAIN, ESSIE?

A young Latine boy builds a wall out of a shoe box and other items to protect his toys from his toddler sister.

Two “No Pasar” signs hang outside both entrances into the living room. In the center, Rafael pins a sheet around his toys to shield them. But it doesn’t stop his sister, Essie, who comes barreling in with a mighty “¡CRASH!” An idea strikes Rafael to build a wall “wide enough and tall enough to keep Essie out.” Picking a favorable spot in his bedroom, Rafael initiates his new plan while Essie takes a siesta. He collects a packing box, a shoe box, a puzzle box, a cooler, and more to construct his Essie-proof wall. His goal: to fit, flip, and turn each item into a makeshift barrier. Easy in theory, tough in practice. As Essie stirs and fusses out of her nap, Rafael tries to puzzle out each shape into a wall before time runs out. With a dash of humor, Lacika’s Spanish and English text—translated by Calvo—serves a low-key urgent scenario familiar to older siblings. An eclectic mix of short, punchy lines and longer, descriptive sentences chugs along at a smooth pace. Full of clean, solid linework, Martínez’s bright, colorful illustrations feature big, legible shapes distinct from one another on the page. Visual cues (including a joyful little cat) provide a sense of scale during Rafael’s wall construction. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A playful tale to encourage spatial awareness and creativity.