Mamá's Panza

by Isabel Quintero, Iliana Galvez (Illustrator)

Overview

A body-positive picture book about a young boy's love for his mother and his mother's belly.

Everyone has a panza—it can be big and round, soft and small, or somewhere in between. But a young boy’s favorite panza of all is Mamá’s. Her panza is capable of remarkable things, and she loves it as an important part of herself. Her panza was also his first home. Even before he was born, it cradled and held him.

When he’s feeling shy and needs a place to hide or when he wants somewhere to rest during a bedtime story, Mamá’s panza is always there. With affirming text by Isabel Quintero and vivid art by Iliana Galvez, Mamá’s Panza is a young boy’s love letter to his mother, along with a celebration of our bodies and our bellies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593616420
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/26/2024
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.06(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.33(d)
Lexile:	AD530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Isabel Quintero is an award-winning writer and the daughter of Mexican immigrants. Gabi, A Girl in Pieces, her first YA novel, was the recipient of multiple awards, including the Tom's Rivera Award, the California Book Award Gold Medal, and the Morris Award for Debut YA Novel. She is also the author of chapter books and a non-fiction YA graphic biography, Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide, which was awarded the Boston Globe Horn Book Award. Most recently, My Papi Has a Motorcycle, earned the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association Award, the Pura Belpré Illustration Honor Award, the Tom's Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award, and many other recognitions.

Iliana Galvez is a queer Latinx illustrator, mother, and pug whisperer born and raised in the San Fernando Valley who is currently based in Houston. She started her Instagram page @GrowMija as a love letter to her baby'sister, Chachis, to show her art that looked like her and to let her know how amazing she is.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Mamá's Panza By Isabel Quintero :

CSMCL Best Books of 2024

"A sweet, body-positive celebration of motherhood and its physical expression."
—- Kirkus Reviews

"Mamá’s panza is “a drum I like to play”—an action that precedes “my panza’s turn to be a drum,” and a loving game of chase between the two." — Publishers Weekly


"This body-positive book celebrates the wonder, love, and strength our bodies allow us to express." —- Booklist

From the Publisher

2023-12-06
Everyone has a panza!

A precocious child declares that “panza is another word for belly.” Mamá’s panza is soft and ample, and it’s the little one’s favorite panza of them all. The young narrator interacts with Mamá’s body in various ways: playfully using it as a drum, snuggling up to Mamá’s panza while she reads a story, and hiding behind Mamá’s body during moments of shyness. Gleeful smiles and tender embraces make it clear that the child loves Mamá dearly. Mamá explains that she loves her panza, too: “Our bodies are miracles for what they can do…My panza kept you alive and keeps me alive as well. How could I not love it?” She shares that her panza was the child’s first home, and it stretched as the little one grew. Inviting illustrations depict a warm, sturdy mother using the strength and size of her curvy body to grow and raise a child. Her brown skin and black hair glow with health and affection. The child has short, curly brown hair and lighter brown skin; both are cued Latine. This affirming ode to bellies shows readers the strength of a woman’s love for her child and the wonderful things a body can do. Publishes simultaneously in Spanish.

A sweet, body-positive celebration of motherhood and its physical expression. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews