May Your Life Be Deliciosa

A delicious and fortifying picture book inspired by the author’s family, featuring the Mexican tradition of holiday tamale-making

A 2022 Pura Belpré Award Illustrator Honor Book.

By Michael Genhart, Author & Illustrator, Loris Lora

“What is the recipe?” I ask. Abuela laughs. “It is in my heart, Rosie. I use mis ojos, my eyes, to measure. Mis manos, my hands, to feel. Mi boca, my mouth, to taste. My abuela gave it to me, and I am giving it to you.” Each year on Christmas Eve, Rosie’s abuela, mamá, tía, sister, and cousins all gather together in Abuela’s kitchen to make tamales—cleaning corn husks, chopping onions and garlic, roasting chilis, kneading cornmeal dough, seasoning the filling, and folding it all—and tell stories. Rosie learns from her abuela not only how to make a delicious tamale, but how to make a delicious life, one filled with love, plenty of spice, and family.

Michael Genhart is an award-winning author of several children’s books and a clinical psychologist. He lives with his family in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is his first book with Cameron Kids.

Loris Lora, inspired by her Mexican upbringing, pop culture, and mid-century illustration and design, is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and illustrator whose work has been featured in editorial and book publishing, toy and surface design, and in galleries around the world. She lives and works in Los Angeles.

Grade level: Kindergarten - 2nd grade

Reading age: 5-7 years

Language: English

Harry N. Abrams, 2021, hardcover, 9 x 11.5 in, 40 pages.