Too Many Tamales

This modern classic celebrates the tradition of tamales and family bonding at Christmas.

Christmas Eve started out so perfectly for Maria. Snow had fallen and the streets glittered. Maria’s favorite cousins were coming over and she got to help make the tamales for Christmas dinner. It was almost too good to be true when her mother left the kitchen for a moment and Maria got to try on her beautiful diamond ring . . 
This is the story of a treasure thought to be lost in a batch of tamales; of a desperate and funny attempt by Maria and her cousins to eat their way out of trouble; and the warm way a family pulls together to make it a perfect Christmas after all.

Born in Fresno, California, to Mexican American parents, Gary Soto is an acclaimed poet, essayist, and fiction writer. The awards for this multitalented author are many, ranging from the US Award for International Poetry Forum to a Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award, and was nominated for a National Book Award. His other credits include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the California Arts Council. When he is not writing, Mr. Soto serves as a volunteer English teacher at his church. He lives with his wife, Carolyn, and their daughter, Mariko, in Berkeley, California.

Ed Martinez came to the United States from the country of Argentina when he was five years old. His father was a graphic artist. When Martinez was a boy, his father used to take him horseback riding. He learned to draw pictures of horses from seeing them in real life. When he was in college, Martinez saw a show of children’s book illustrators. He knew then that he wanted to illustrate books. Martinez went to art school in New York City. Since then, he has illustrated magazines and books for children and adults.

Martinez lives in the small town of Kent, Connecticut. He likes to go out in his jeep to paint the farms, cows, and streams near Kent. He especially likes to use oil paint in his work.

A very funny story, full of delicious surprises . . . a joyful success. -- Booklist, starred review
A warm family story that combines glowing art with a well-written text to tell of a girl's dilemma. -- School Library Journal, starred review
A mini-drama rendered so acutely that anyone who has lost something special will respond. -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books