Little Chanclas

May 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-In this bilingual book, Lily Lujan is a young girl who enjoys wearing a favorite pair of flip-flops everywhere she goes, hence her nickname, Little Chanclas. The community has come to recognize her by the noise her flip-flops make. One fateful day while attending a family barbecue, the sandals finally see their last use. The shoes are destroyed, and one is even eaten by Chewcho, the neighborhood bulldog. Lily cannot be comforted, though her friends and neighbors shower her with many wonderful new shoes. Her mother is upset after Lilly decides to go barefoot and tells her that she may no longer attend parties (her favorite thing to do). Granny Lola comes to the rescue with boxes of beautiful chanclas and reveals that Lily's mother also refused to wear any other type of shoe until she got married. From then on Lily learns to wear all types of footwear. The story is quite endearing, and children will surely tell tales of their favorite things to wear. The illustrations, while colorful and eye-catching, do not quite match the text. The stylized art features characters with extra large heads and exaggerated features. VERDICT An additional purchase.-Martha Rico, El Paso ISD, TX

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2015
A little girl loves her flip-flops to death-literally-setting up a new-shoe dilemma.Lily Lujan so loves her battered old flip-flops her family calls her Little Chanclas (or "Chanclitas," in Crosthwaite's parallel Spanish text). She wears them everywhere: to Chata's Market, to Benny's Burgerteria, and to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Tired of the constant slippity-slappety, her mother and big sister try to coax her into a different pair of shoes, but even red Mary Janes from Googie's Boutique for Girls can't part Lily from her beloved flip-flops. Lily loves parties even more than her flip-flops, though, and it's dancing at a barbecue that spells doom for her battered footwear: the straps break, and one lands in the guacamole and the other right next to a hungry bulldog. Will Lily ever regain her slippity-slappety? Lozano displays a keenly sympathetic understanding of the sometimes-intense love a child bears for a favorite item of clothing. With both words and energetic, folk art-inspired illustrations, he creates a likably stubborn protagonist and situates her in a vibrant, affectionate Latino family. Skin colors modulate from pink to dark brown, reflecting a diverse community that embraces multiple Latino cultures as well as Lily's favorite restaurant: Suki's Sushiteria.Any child who's loved a favorite pair of shoes will identify with this vigorous Latina heroine. (Bilingual picture book. 4-8)