El Dia Mas Feliz de Alicia

by Professor Meg Starr

Everyone in the Latino neighborhood where Alicia lives helps to make her birthday special.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime

36 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2001

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Review for Multicultural Children's Book Day 2023***

Review is of the English language version, however the book is also available in Spanish (there are a handful of words/phrases in Spanish in the English version as well).

Alicia's Happy Day is a short, sweet picture book by author Meg Starr that is a series of wishes for Alicia's birthday. The book is illustrated with lovely watercolors by Ying-hwa Hu and Cornelius Van Wright. While the illustrations are not busy, there are many engaging details for children to spot and engage with as they read and re-read the book. The book begins with Alicia walking through a neighborhood with her mother, replete with signs in the background that vary between English and Spanish, and a diverse bunch of friendly characters that populate the streets. The book goes on to show interactions with some of the workers and neighbors in the street, and moves on to Alicia's interactions with friends and family. All of these interactions show positive wishes for Alicia's birthday. The book is a short read, perfect for squirmy kids with short attention spans, but perhaps a little too short for older readers of picture books. All in all, a cheerful book for birthdays and regular days alike.

[Brenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alicia’s Happy Day
Meg Starr, author
Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-hua Hu, Illustrators
Publisher: Star Bright Books

Miss Starr gives Alicia a chance to be a special part of her Latino neighborhood, among friends, shopkeepers, and family. Alicia feels like she belongs while listening to her salsa and hearing both English and Spanish.
Beautiful watercolor pictures from Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-hua Hu are full pages and fit the story well. The colors are warm and welcoming. Each page has something going on for the young reader
to see, but not so much that they become is overwhelming.

***I received this book from Star Bright Books in exchange for a fair review for Multicultural Children’s Book Day. Thank you to Star Bright Books, the author, illustrators and all the sponsors that allow me to review this book and that keep MCCD going.*** #ReadYourWorld

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided this book in exchange for an honest review for Multicultural Children's Book Day 2023. I read this book to my fifth grade students, who thought it would be perfect for their first grade buddies. Students loved how the beautiful illustrations connected directly to the simple words on the page. The simple figurative language was a wonderful addition to a younger audience and helped students use imagery to understand the story. Many students noted that they enjoyed the words in Spanish, especially those that spoke Spanish and helped us with the translations. All students were able to connect to either having a birthday, having a good day, the music, or the food in the story and would recommend this book to young students who are just learning how to read!

[charlene.librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

"May you laugh as loud as you want, with no one to stop you, because all of us, we're all for you--that's why we sing happy birthday to YOU!"

This is a lovely, simple message of celebrating a young girl's birthday (2002 publication). The book is dedicated to the children of East Harlem and barrios everywhere, and I appreciate the lively depiction of this area of New York City. Hu's watercolors are vibrant and authentic to the community

[Ariana Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book describes the day of a young Hispanic girl celebrating her birthday. I thought the illustrations were very fun and vibrant. While the story is simple, I think children would enjoy reading it. In the classroom, I’m sure many students could relate to it and other students can learn about a different culture.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Review for Multicultural Children's Book Day 2023*

Alicia's Happy Day by Meg Starr is a wonderful book about celebrating a birthday. The birthday wishes show that simple things can bring joy to your life. It is perfect for younger children and English language learners. The simple sentences make it easy to use as a mentor text for students to write their own happy day story. #ReadYourWorld

[Katrina Tangen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of subjunctive practice! It's in second person, so would make a perfect oversized birthday card if it didn't specify a name in the title.

[Drew Slanina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was decent. I liked that it used its illustrations to show ELL students how to use context clues to figure the idea of the story. It was definitely worth reading.

[Kirsti Call · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely words and illustrations.

[Leah G · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not really care for this book. It’s rare for me to find a kids book I’m just not into, but this is one.

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my review at my blog
https://mothergooselibrarian.blogspot...

[Emily Myhren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alicia celebrates her birthday in this lovely picture book. Soft water color illustrations guide you through her Latinx neighborhood as she enjoys her special day. This is a great read aloud or book to gift on a child's birthday. I was gifted a copy of this book as part of Multicultural Children's Book Day.

[Jolene Gutiérrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Join in on the celebration of Alicia’s birthday! I love that this lyrical picture book is written as a big, beautiful wish for a day filled with joy. My favorite line? “May you have a day that’s twirly-swirly.”

As Alicia walks through her neighborhood with Mammi, we encounter salsa music, airplanes writing in the sky, and generous vendors like the Orange lady and the Icey man.

Alicia is obviously the main character, but Meg Starr has written the text in second person and in such a clever way that readers will feel as if all of these beautiful wishes are directed at them. Readers will feel blanketed in love and happy for Alicia when she celebrates.

The story is a joy to read, and it’s a joy to look at as well. Ying-hwa Hu’s and Cornelius Van Wright’s watercolor illustrations are vibrant and lovely. As she moves through her neighborhood, Alicia’s excitement is obvious on every page and in every interaction. The celebration at the end of the book with friends, family, cake, balloons, and an adorable dog is my favorite spread.

I loved seeing the diverse places and people that Alicia encounters within the city. For readers who live in an urban setting, they’ll see familiar and fun people and places, and for readers who haven’t had this experience, Alicia’s Happy Day will offer them a view into city life.

I appreciate that Meg Star is a teacher and professor in Early Childhood Education and has been a daycare teacher and director. She brings her knowledge of early childhood to her writing, and since much of the work she’s done is in East Harlem, her stories reflect that setting. Ying-hwa Hu and Cornelius Van Wright also live in New York City with their children, so the art within Alicia’s Happy Day is inspired by the busy, energetic city that surrounds them.

Star Bright Books offers Alicia’s Happy Day in an English edition (the version I reviewed, and this version includes a few Spanish phrases/words), a Spanish edition, and my favorite format, Spanish AND English! I appreciate Star Bright’s commitment to allowing all kids to see themselves within the pages of their books and to publish books in a variety of languages so that readers can read books in their own languages. Currently, Star Bright Books publish books in 33 languages!

This book was #gifted to me for an honest #review for Multicultural Children's Book Day 2023. #ReadYourWorld

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this book in my Spanish club today; it reminded me of the beauty of the Spanish language and how it imparts a sense of richness and romanticism to even the most everyday of things. Instead of "the orange peel," we read about " la cinta cascara de naranja." The pages are filled with wishes for a day full of wonderful things - coconut ice cream, an orange peel from the fruit stand, hugs from her parents, and a song from her aunt. I really enjoyed it. :)

[Rhaynes5]

Alicia's Happy Day / El Dia Mas Feliz de Alicia is a great read aloud for young readers. This book is also good for Spanish speaking dual language learners because it is written in both English and Spanish. Being able to read the story with Spanish and English language will be helpful for young readers who are learning English as a second language. It will help them to translate the story and they may be able to connect with it easier.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one. So much so, in fact, that I was a little disappointing it turned out to be a birthday book. I really wanted it to just be about wishing someone a beautiful day for no reason at all. Wish I had found this book when I did a birthday storytime for a little girl who wanted her birthday stories about Mexican culture. Because this is a really lovely book.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome little book for kids. talks about having a "twirly-swirly" type of day.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute. It is a birthday book. Simple and short sentences. could teach subjunctive to high schoolers?