The Last Slice: A Three Kings Day Treat
by Melissa Seron Richardson; illus. by Monica Arnaldo
Primary    Little, Brown    40 pp.
12/23    9780316436298    $18.99

The Rosca de Reyes for Three Kings Day looks delicious, but Marta is terrified of accidentally swallowing the Niño Dios figure hidden inside the cake. She fears the religious ramifications of eating Baby Jesus, as well as letting down her family on Candelaria Day in February: whoever finds the baby brings tamales to the celebration, and “no baby meant no tamales.” Marta’s anxieties (an appended note shares how they are based on the author’s own childhood worries) are humorously described and tempered by comical watercolor and pencil crayon illustrations featuring a cheeky Niño Dios. Eventually, Marta faces her fears, and with a “CHOMP!” triumphantly finds Niño Dios, ensuring tamales for her cheering family. Back matter also includes information on Three Kings Day.

From the November/December 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.