Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe by Ernesto Joel Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratus; Illustrated by Dana Sanmar 

A delightful introduction to the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Juan Diego, and her annual veneration. 

Las Mañanitas is a wonderful children’s picture book that explains the story of the appearances of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the religious observations (and the title of the book) that occur in December. It introduces and gives the background circumstances of Juan Diego, the first Catholic saint born in the New World. 

The story is told from the viewpoint of a regular family with children participating in the events for the first time, and it is delightful, straightforward, and colorfully illustrated. Grandpa recounts the inspirational and historical tale while Grandma prepares the traditional costumes her young grandchildren will wear during the celebration. Best of all, the book provides the entire story in realistic but simple dialogue in both Spanish and English, side by side or one above the other on the page. Language students could use the book for a simple and interesting reading comprehension exercise and a glimpse into this cultural aspect of Catholicism in Mexico and other Latin American countries or communities. 

I recommend LAS MAÑANITAS: THE BEAUTIFUL CELEBRATION OF OUR LADY OF GUADELUPE to young children and their families, especially those interested in Our Lady and the Saints. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy via Netgalley.