In Jamie Ofelia's well-honed, winning debut, Miguel is a gentle, artistic boy in a family of sword fighters. Between Us and Abuela illustrator Sara Palacios endearingly captures the nature of this courageous and loving family in which Miguel is "like a paintbrush, clever and colorful, in a family of steely swords."
All Miguel's life his family has told him, "You must fight!" His abuelitos spar while sipping tea, his parents duel like dancers, and his little sister, Zulema, terrifies the other toddlers with her wooden dagger. But artistic Miguel "can't waste time fighting when there's so much beauty to capture!" Even the townsfolk worry about Miguel's disinterest in fighting, until a dragon gives the boy a chance to shine. Mami, Papi, Abuela, Abuelo, and Zulema all fail to destroy El Dragón, a ferocious fire-spewing beast. When the dragon taunts the family--"Is that all you've got?"--Miguel steps forward with a sketch of the dragon. "You perfectly portrayed my sparkling eyes, my bulging muscles!" El Dragón preens. The dragon flies off clutching the paper, the town is saved, and the mayor declares a fiesta in honor of the boy, "a verdadero [true] hero!"
Ofelia seamlessly weaves Spanish words into her sharp and sweet text and there is a glossary (complete with phonetic pronunciations) at book's end. Palacios's spirited acrylic, gouache, and digital illustrations resemble traditional cel animated cartoons and her palette matches the many greens of the cacti and other plants of the Mexican landscape. Action-filled art, a positive message of creativity over warfare, and text that balances English and Spanish assure an entertaining reader experience both solo and as a read aloud. --Melinda Greenblatt, freelance book reviewer