Doña Esmeralda, Who Ate Everything

by Melissa de la Cruz, Primo Gallanosa (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Melissa de la Cruz is a world-builder and the world she gives us in her picture book debut is a fun, imaginative, silly and wild ride. Doña Esmeralda, Who Ate Everything is rooted in the fairy tales of her childhood, and now de la Cruz makes it accessible for all our bookshelves. Perfect for fans of Every Night is Pizza Night and Room for Everyone.

A silly, laugh-out-loud read-aloud picture book debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz!

Once upon a time, in the middle of a group of seven thousand happy islands named after King Philip of Spain, there lived a lady named Dona Esmeralda.

She had a big bouffant hairdo and was much smaller than you.

And she was always hungry...

And so begins the wickedly hilarious tale of one very old, but very stylish little lady who loves to eat, but can only find the ooey, gooey, mushy, smelly leftovers of naughty children to nosh on. But what happens when Dona Esmeralda finds out about all the tasty treats that children do eat? Hold on to your hairdos as Esmeralda eats everything in sight in a cumulative read-aloud inspired by stories from author Melissa de la Cruz's childhood in the Philippines!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338751611
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/16/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	189,701
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Melissa de la Cruz is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for readers of all ages, including her most recent hits: Disney's Descendants series; the Blue Bloods series; the Witches of East End series (which was adapted into a two-season television drama on Lifetime); Alex & Eliza: A Love Story; Something in Between; and Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe. Melissa is the co-director of YALLFest (Charleston, South Carolina) and the co-founder of YALLWest (Santa Monica, California). She grew up in Manila and she now lives in West Hollywood, California, with her husband and daughter. Learn more at melissa-delacruz.com.
Primo Gallanosa is an author and illustrator for children's picture books. He previously worked as an artist for video games, and created and co-owns an award-winning kids app called Pocket Worlds. He has lived in Southern California all his life and attended the prestigious art school CalArts. When Primo isn't drawing, you can find him playing video games, reading a book, or surfing. He lives in Los Angeles with his amazing author wife, Marie Lu, and two adorable pups. Dona Esmeralda, Who Ate Everything is his first book with Scholastic. Find him online at primogallanosa.com.

Editorial Reviews

10/31/2022

Inspired by a variation on a Filipino myth, de la Cruz’s quirky story centers a ravenous, bouffant-haired sprite who’s the answer to every finicky eater’s problem. A contemporary fairy tale set among “seven thousand/ happy islands named after King Philip of Spain,” the titular protagonist is ancient, “about the size of a toddler,” and possessed of a “voracious appetite.” Having to settle for what she can get, meal-wise, Doña Esmeralda hides under tables, consuming “children’s uneaten plates and diet soda” through dual striped straws. Lurking, slurping, and gulping, she stays small, but her straws grow monstrous to accommodate her appetite—increasing in size and scope as she grows tired of leftovers and investigates children’s favorite foods. Galanosa’s digital illustrations show children of varied abilities and skin tones, and Esmeralda channels a fancy elf in her red dress, black belt, and gold accessories, the cartoonish style alleviating fears that a leftover-craving vampire might trigger. A lumpia recipe rounds out end notes. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Dona Esmeralda, Who Ate Everything:

“This fantastical and memorable character offers an eccentric story with modern tastes meant for a purely entertaining read-aloud experience.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

07/01/2022

K-Gr 2—Inspired by elements of Filipino folktales, this quirky story tells of little Doña Esmeralda, who greedily uses a straw to devour every morsel of food left over by naughty children who refuse what's on their plates. One day, she decides to suck up food that children seem to adore and finds she cannot stop her overindulgence. Pieces of the story, like Doña Esmeralda's magical straw and disastrous zoo adventure, seem offbeat without prior knowledge of Filipino folklore or an early perusal of the author's note, but readers will devour the narrator's mesmerizing voice and bubbly illustrations. Through these comical, wildly animated events, filled with bold colors as well as American and Filipino cuisine, Doña Esmeralda's fate will feed readers' appetites for surprise and silliness. VERDICT This fantastical and memorable character offers an eccentric story with modern tastes meant for a purely entertaining read-aloud experience.—Rachel Mulligan

School Library Journal

2022-05-11
Doña Esmeralda will slurp up anything with her magic straw, but what happens when she finally bites off more than she can chew?

Doña Esmeralda is a hero to children everywhere. All they have to do is say, “I don’t want to eat this,” and she sneaks along and sucks up their yucky giniling or zucchini bread. But someone, even a tiny, ancient, magical someone, can only eat gross leftovers for so long before getting curious about what else is out there that children DO want to eat. Once she starts, she cannot stop herself! Chicken nuggets, hamburgers, pizza, samosas, bulgogi, and more—all get sucked up through her straw, until the inevitable happens and…BOOM! Doña Esmeralda explodes, and without her, the children must learn to eat the food they don’t like themselves, but they still keep an eye out for her, just in case. Though the text is lengthy and at times clunky, the premise of the story is fun, and the illustrations are bright and vibrant, full of silly antics. Doña Esmeralda has light skin and a black bouffant; the children depicted throughout are diverse. In an author’s note, de la Cruz explains that she drew inspiration from the Filipino legend of the aswang and sought to honor the Filipino foods she ate growing up; included is her mother’s recipe for lumpia. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A cute but wordy offering that will have children peeking under tables in search of the titular character. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews