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Chilling on a summer day

Cover of Paletero Man
A review of Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz

Latin Grammy award-winner, Lucky Diaz, has written a tribute to his childhood LA neighborhood. On a hot summer day in LA, a young boy grabs his money and heads off down the street to find the Paletero Man, with his cart full of frozen treats, colorful paletas in so many flavors. Following the cart’s “Ring Ring,” the boy runs along, passing his friends’ food carts, the bike shop, the park and more, and treating readers to a beautiful day in his neighborhood. Alas, he is unaware that he is dropping his money along the way. Arriving at the cart, he finds his pockets empty, and it is his friends from the neighborhood, the cart vendors, and shop owners, who save the day, finally catching up to him to return his money.

Illustrator Micah Player uses vivid colors and simple shapes, and Diaz sprinkles Spanish words throughout the text.  A great book to share with 3-7 yr. olds accompanied with some icy treats, of course, on these hot, hot days!

And you can visit the publisher’s web site to enjoy a recording of the song Paletero Man.

Jul 26, 2021