Nana Lupita and the Magic Sopita

by Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz, Carlos Velez (illustrator)

This enchanting story features the mystery of a grandmother’s secret recipe, a seek-and-find of healing plants, and bilingual words for young readers.

“Gorgeous artwork on big full pages is lovely to look at, and the limited Spanish vocabulary in the text makes this a good choice for beginners.”—Booklist

“This bilingual picture book offering from Chicano and Indigenous author Ruiz follows siblings Luna and Sol as they unravel the secret behind their grandmother’s magical remedies.”—Publishers Weekly

Luna and her little brother, Sol, are out to solve a mystery! They suspect that their grandmother uses magic to create her remedies because she says that she uses a “magic” ingredient.

At the beginning of the story Luna and Sol catch colds so their grandmother makes a healing soup. Luna overhears Nana singing a classic Spanish children’s song about frog tails while cooking the soup, so Luna secretly thinks that frogs are the magic ingredient. The children explore the enchanted garden in search of frogs until it is time to eat, in which Nana reveals the real secret ingredient. Can you guess what it is?

This sweet semi-bilingual story includes a seek-and-find of traditional plants used in curanderismo and includes the recipe for Nana’s magic soup!

Written by renowned healer Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz, Nana Lupita and the Magic Sopita is inspired the author’s grandmother, who was a curandera (a traditional healer of Mexican heritage).

First In a New Mi Hermosa Stories of Four Generations

When a five-year old girl from el barrio (the neighborhood) shares memories of her beautiful family, her rich imagination takes the wheel as she recalls what did—and what almost did—happen. This semi-bilingual series called Mi Hermosa Familia (My Beautiful Family) highlights the small and beautiful moments found throughout Latino communities, told with a dose of magical realism. All books include an interactive seek and find.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

Published July 30, 2024

Reviews

[Brenda Barrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the 2025 Multicultural Children's Book Day (#ReadYourWorld) I was gifted a copy of NANA LUPITA AND THE MAGIC SOPITA by Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz and award-winning illustrator Carlos Vélez, published by Gibbs Smith. Achoo! When a child is sick, a soothing bowl of soup can be an ideal healing remedy, especially if it’s made by their Nana, also known in Spanish-speaking homes as Abuelita. This picture book features curious siblings, Luna and Sol, who discover the “magic” in their Nana’s soup. An ideal selection for younger readers, with multi-generational characters and bilingual words highlighted throughout. Each page showcases exquisite, colorful illustrations by Mexican artist Carlos Vélez. An additional bonus is the back matter that includes Spanish translations plus fun activities like Seek-and-Find healing plants. And, yes, the Mexican traditional sopita de fideo recipe is included, too!

[Maritere Rodriguez Bellas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Siblings Luna and Sol are in awe of their Nana’s healing powers. She is always helping everyone that comes to visit. Luna and Sol are convinced that Nana uses a magic ingredient, and they set out to find it. Until Nana is heard singing about frogs and the siblings get sick. Is Nana making frog soup to help them feel better? Is that the secret ingredient. Beautifully written by renowned traditional healer Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz, this is a story that highlights culture, language and traditions. My favorite kind of books! Illustrations by Carlos Velez are colorful and creative! The Seek and Find section and the Sopita recipe are great additions that will spark family fun.

*I was gifted this book for the purposes of a review for Read Your World Day 2025. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
#kidlit #ReadYourWorld #gifted

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the misunderstanding about the secret ingredient and I love that it comes with a recipe for the soup