Menudo Sunday: A Spanglish Counting Book

by María Dolores Águila, Erika Meza (Illustrator)

Overview

Paletero Man meets Besos for Baby in this Spanish-English counting picture book that’s bursting with all the love, laughter, and chaos found at a large family gathering.

Sundays are the best: that’s when a little girl and her mamá, abuelitos, tías and primos all gather together to eat yummy menudo, a traditional Mexican soup. But when playtime with the cousins and family dogs gets out of hand and Abuelito Esteban’s special bowl of menudo breaks, everyone has to pitch in to make a new batch! Through all the menudo mishaps and sneaky snacks for perritos with wagging tails, young readers will giggle as they learn to count from 1-15 in Spanish and English. Bonus materials at the back of the book include a glossary of Spanish words, a note from the author, and tips for hosting your very own Menudo Sunday!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593462263
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	08/05/2025
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

María Dolores Águila is a Chicana poet and writer from San Diego, California. Deeply inspired by Chicane history and art, she seeks to write empowering and inclusive stories about everything she learns. She is also the author of the historical fiction picture book Barrio Rising: The Protest That Built Chicano Park.

Erika Meza was born in Mexico, fell in love with animation on the border of California, and developed a taste for eclairs in Paris before moving to the UK to teach at Nottingham Trent University. She is the illustrator of numerous children's books including My Two Border Towns by David Bowles and Salsa Lullaby by Jen Arena.

Editorial Reviews

"Águila mixes in Spanish words as she whips up a delicious story of family and food . . . Meza’s illustrations are especially notable for their strong sense of place; small touches, such as the mismatched chairs and vibrantly painted ofrenda (a Día de los Muertos altar), make this tale truly feel like Sunday with los abuelos in a Mexican American home. As warm and welcoming as menudo con la familia." —Kirkus

From the Publisher

2025-05-16
Pull up a chair, grab a bowl of menudo, and join in this beloved family tradition.

As this counting book opens, “two grinning abuelitos” gather on the paved patio of “one cozy casita” as they get ready to welcome a family of tías and primos for Sunday dinner. While the cousins play, the grown-ups catch up. Later, everyone works together, setting the table, preparing the menudo (a Mexican tripe stew), and counting along the way (“cinco / five parajitos singing sweetly in the fruit trees,” “ocho / eight girasoles in a vase”). But oh no! Just as they’re about to reach “quince” (the number 15), disaster strikes, and the bowl of menudo falls to the floor. Time to start all over again back at “uno,” with “one deep breath.” Águila mixes in Spanish words as she whips up a delicious story of family and food. Though some of these phrases sound a bit clunky when read aloud, they aren’t a major hindrance to understanding or enjoyment. Meza’s illustrations are especially notable for their strong sense of place; small touches, such as the mismatched chairs and vibrantly painted ofrenda (a Día de los Muertos altar), make this tale truly feel like Sunday with los abuelos in a Mexican American home.

As warm and welcoming as menudo con la familia. (glossary, tips for hosting your own menudo Sunday, author’s note)(Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews