Maya and Annie on Saturdays and Sundays / Los sábados y domingos de Maya y Annie

Written by Gwendolyn Zepeda


Illustrations by Thelma Muraida

• ISBN: 978-1-55885-859-6
• Publication Date: May 31, 2018

• Bind: Hardcover
• 
Pages: 32

Two young girls’ friendship grows in this bilingual picture book about melding diverse families.

Maya and Annie are friends who play together on Saturdays and Sundays. They make lemonade with lemons from the big tree in Annie’s yard and play with Maya’s two little dogs. Maya likes the different food Annie’s dad cooks: noodles, rice, fish and dumplings. And Annie likes eating dinners Maya’s mom makes: tacos, chicken, tamales and rice and beans.

Weekends are special because the girls don’t see each other on school days. Annie’s dad takes them to the beach and they swim, make sandcastles and catch crabs with nets. At the carnival with Maya’s mom, they go on scary rides, eat cotton candy, play games and win prizes. They don’t want the weekend to end!

One special night, Annie’s dad and Maya’s mom invite their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins to a big dinner and make a special announcement: they’re getting married! The girls will become sisters, and they’ll spend every day of the week together.

From posadas to Lunar New Year, each girl recounts her perspective of their friendship on alternating pages that are paired with lively illustrations by Thelma Muraida. Based on Gwendolyn Zepeda’s own experiences with her family, this engaging bilingual picture book for ages 4-8 explores blended families from a multicultural perspective, combining Asian and Latino cultural traditions.

GWENDOLYN ZEPEDA is the author of four bilingual picture books, including Growing Up with Tamales / Los tamales de Ana (Piñata Books, 2008), a 2009 Charlotte Zolotow Award Highly Commended Title, and Sunflowers / Girasoles (Piñata Books, 2009), winner of the Texas Institute of Letters’ Best Children’s Book. She lives and works in Houston, Texas.

THELMA MURAIDA illustrated Clara and the Curandera / Clara y la curandera by Monica Brown, Cecilia and Miguel Are Best Friends / Cecilia y Miguel son mejores amigos by Diane Gonzales Bertrand and My Big Sister / Mi hermana mayor by Samuel Caraballo. An accomplished artist and designer, she lives and works in San Antonio, Texas.