I received an electronic ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Kids through NetGalley.
Mendoza's vividly colored illustrations enhance this story by Dobbs. They mesh together to share the history of the poinsettia at a level elementary readers will appreciate and understand. The informative text at the end offers further facts for readers to explore. Told in a relaxed story style. Definitely one to add to the holiday season.

I think that the central themes of this book are really great, but the overall book could have been a little more exciting. In other words, I was a little bored by this book. Maybe it's because I am personally not a history person. However, that being said, I don't think a whole lot of kids are history nerds, either. My recommendation? The story about Pepita and the poinsettia was really interesting, and it didn't seem like it got as much attention as it should have. Personally, I think that making this specific story a bigger and more central part of this book would add personality and entertainment value to the overall book. Despite this book being a bit dull, it had lots of good stuff in it! The writing definitely had a personalized voice/tone to it, and I found myself thinking, "Wow, this book is really well-written". Bravo for that! Lastly, the illustrations were absolutely beautiful! The illustrator effortlessly captured the beauty of the poinsettia on numerous pages, and this inspires readers to have a renewed appreciation for the flower.

This is the best that narrative nonfiction can offer-beautiful illustrations, seamless transitions from one event to the next, and varied back matter. All of these choices added to a fairly unknown topic that can help students understand the globally community is superb. Highly recommended!

This was so interesting! It's amazing to me how many different cultures have reacted to this flower throughout history, and how we have shared the poinsettia with each other. There was a lot of information but it's beautifully told and the illustrations are gorgeous.

This is a beautifully illustrated book that uses rich colors to evoke a historic, familiar feeling. The illustrator chooses to zoom in on a poinsettia when the author describes the true flower vs. the colorful leaves. The history of the poinsettia follows its discovery by indigenous people and the original name given (cuetlaxochitl) as well as the medicinal properties originally attributed to it. The author does a great job with the research of the poinsettia's journey through historic events, such as Mexico's Independence, as well as folk stories about its symbolism with the birth of Jesus.

I thought it was important to point out that the colonizers renamed the plant and it deserves to be called by its native name, but this was not really touched on. They did report that it was renamed after a European American man named Poinsett. For anyone who has read the civil rights book, Spell Freedom, the woman who taught at a freedom school was the progeny of an enslaved person in Poinsett's household and she still carried his last name.

For children, this story was told at just the right level of non-fiction information and comforting familiarity. It would make a great read-aloud at Christmas time or when studying Mexican history.