Book of the Week: My Papi Has a Motorcycle

by Isabel Quintero

Illustrated by Zeke Peña

Published by Kokila, 2019
32 pages
ISBN: 978-0-525-55341-0

Ages 4-8

As Daisy rides with Papi on his motorcycle, she describes her neighborhood and city in a delightful, loving ode to present and past, family and community, joyfully evoking place and people and connections. They pass Abuelita’s church; Tortilleria la Estrella, where they “stop for stray cats crossing in front of us,” Joy’s Market, and Abuelito and Abuelita’s old yellow house, “the one with the lemon tree that grew from the seeds of the lemons Abuelito used to pick not far from here.” There is constancy but also change: their favorite place to stop for shaved ice has closed; they visit the place where Papi works building houses that are “replacing the last of the citrus groves.” The mixed-media art features a warmly colored palette on matte paper, cartoon-like energy, and singular details mined from a superbly crafted narrative that also quietly affirms the important (and often unacknowledged) contributions of immigrants past and present, including Daisy’s father, to their community. This English-language edition (it is also available in Spanish) incorporates Spanish dialogue in speech bubbles that are part of the art. ©2019 Cooperative Children’s Book Center