ESTRELLITA EN LA CIUDAD GRANDE/ESTRELLITA IN THE BIG CITY

Estrellita marvels at the wonders of the big city after arriving in Brooklyn from her small Puerto Rican community. On the phone with her Abuelita, she describes the noisy and fun-filled subway ride to Manhattan, the subway’s underground city with street musicians and food stands, Fifth Avenue’s hustle and bustle, the soaring tall buildings and giant, foot-long hotdogs. Estrellita’s adventure continues as she travels by car back to Brooklyn, viewing the expansive Verrazano Bridge and arriving at the barrio where the music, food and lifestyle are as familiar as her hometown. Torrecilla’s full-page illustrations in marker and opaque-toned gouache provide a trendy, almost graphic-novel–style view of the city that revels in architectural extremes; they sit opposite well-balanced bilingual texts separated by smaller scenes of Abuelita in the tranquility of a Puerto Rican beachfront setting. The dialogue format reflects Estrellita’s enthusiasm as she acclimates to a new life in a blended culture. An upbeat introduction to the overwhelming change a move to a large metropolis will bring for the immigrant child. (Picture book. 6-10)