Book description
Libby and her older brother, J. D., don't get along, and their
relationship is tested in an unexpected way when they visit their
grandparents in Santa Fe. It's the week after Easter and Grandma
Socorro is eager to share a cultural tradition with her
grandchildren--the Baile de los Cascarones, the Dance of the Eggshells.
Although both children are skeptical, Libby soon immerses herself in
carefully emptying and rinsing the cascarones, or eggshells, then
filling them with brightly colored confetti. As Libby decorates them,
Grandma Socorro tells her about the Spanish tradition. At the Baile
de los Cascarones, people ask one another to dance by gently
crushing cascarones over their heads.
When the day of the baile arrives, Libby is excited to take part in
the fun. While J. D. bombards his cousins with cascarones and ignores
the dancing, Libby learns every traditional dance. During the popular
Baile de la Escoba (the Broom Dance), J. D. is forced to
dance and Libby saves him from embarrassment.
This bilingual children's story explores the family bond created
through traditions passed on by grandparents. Through Libby's first
exposure to the Baile de los Cascarones, author Carla Aragón
recounts one of her favorite customs while growing up in Santa Fe.
Carla Aragón is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who spent
thirty-five years in broadcasting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Los
Angeles, California. This is the first of many bilingual children's
books she hopes to write on her family traditions. Kathy Dee Saville is
a former art teacher in the Iowa City and Albuquerque public schools.
She is also a musician, singer, and composer. She resides in Rohnert
Park, California.
