So cute! Great for kids with little siblings. By the end, instead of just getting angry, the big brother learns that his little sister only wanted to play with him.

Fun, bright, and educational, this is one of those books that children will want to read again and again.

Again, Essie is part of the Story Telling Math series of book which features children using real world math in their daily lives. This story features Rafael who is trying to keep his toddler sister Essie from getting to his toys and making a mess. Rafael devises a plan to construct a wall out of objects found around the house. He has to position each item correctly so that he make the perfect barrier. This involves him to use his problem solving skills and trial and error to fit each piece together.
This book also has Spanish and English vocabulary for some terms. There is a math notes section to provide additional information concerning the mathematics involved in the story. This is perfect for an elementary level teacher to show that people use math in real life and to help demonstrate diversity in the classroom.

Rafael is a sweet Latino boy who loves his toys and playtime. His baby sister Essie always seems to be destroying and disrupting those peaceful times and he's had enough. While Essie is taking her nap Rafael gathers objects from around the house and constructs a wall in his bedroom to play behind sans Essie. He works hard at measuring and configuring shapes and sizes to make the wall secure. Will his ingenious plan work? Has he calculated a barrier that is wide, tall and strong enough to keep the little intruder at bay?

Rafael finally discovers that his rambunctious little sister doesn't really want to wreck his toys and playtime but her motives are much more endearing.

This book introduces mathematical principals and I love the Spanish words that the author has embedded throughout the story. He has included a glossary at the end of the Spanish vocabulary used. The relatable illustrations are very well done with lots of emotions and action. I highly recommend this book.

Light, refreshing and well paced. This book ties family, latin culture and language and a engineering feat together in a way that bring a smile to the reader. These are the kind of books I wish I had growing up. It isn’t a forced gimmick for the main character to be Latino, he just is.

As an educator I appreciated the spacial reasoning and attention to shape and dimension. I could see some fun enrichment activities coming from this book.

My only critique isn’t really a criticism, I’d just like to see a little more Spanish or a conversation between the boy and a parent. It’s easy and appreciated to weave in a few words but I’d love to see an interaction that highlights the love of Spanish.

This book has so much going for it. An Own Voices picture book by an author and illustrator who are both Latina, AND it incorporates STEM!

The illustrations are adorable. The kids have brown skin and big, expressive eyes. Rafael, the main character beseiged by a toddler sibling, also has a big fluffy cat for company.

The story is about Rafael searching his house for items to build a structurally solid wall in his room. He grabs items from family members around the home, testing them for size and fit. Lacika incorporates some Spanish words into the text, and they are easy to decipher based on context clues if you don't speak the language, but there's also a Glossary at the end.

This is a very cute story that any kid with a younger sibling will appreciate!

Rafael’s young sister, Essie, is always interrupting his time and destroying his toys. During Essie’s nap time (referred to as “siesta” in the book), Rafael collects boxes and objects from throughout the house to build a wall to keep Essie out and protect his toys. But he soon discovers that building a wall isn’t as easy as he thought and will require some geometry and shape skills.

Because this book’s purpose is to introduce mathematical principles, I’m giving this book a rating of 4.5 stars. It’s a diverse book and has cute illustration. I really liked the Spanish words interjected throughout the book as well as the glossary of Spanish vocabulary at the end. There’s also a good message for children on the subject of sibling interactions. Apparently there will be an “Exploring the Math” portion at the end of the book closer to the book’s publication. It’ll be interesting to see the activities included there. Great book and fabulous work done by the author and illustrator.

Interesting Children's book about a Mexican American family, really liked the Glossary at the end and the use of Spanish words throughout the story, but the plot was a bit simple. Lovely illustrations! i don't feel like the math theme was used at its maximum here.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook copy.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for honest feedback. I thought the illustrations were cute, the storyline was sweet (reminded me of something that would occur during lockdown for example), and I particularly liked the details like the dad working online from home + the "amazing" like Amazon boxes. Makes it even more realistic. The sibling interactions are cute as well. It was interesting how language is used for this book, but even more importantly, there will be some sort of mathematic aspect to it "to come". I wonder how this will factor in. As it stands, it's a fine book for a young reader.

A cute picture book about an older brother using math skills to keep his younger sister from trampling through his toys by designing barricades. Also incorporates Spanish words with a glossary at the end.

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hitting us with three purposes, this young reader is bright and fairly interesting, but only to a point. A lad wants his younger sister to stop disturbing him and the toys he plays with, so tries to build a wall to keep her out. So on one hand the book is trying to entertain, the other it is concerned with the maths, geometry and space-filling skills of a young mind trying to fill a gap with everything the kid's nicked from throughout the household, and it's also trying to bring some multi-cultural aspect to the table with the kids slipping into Spanish at times. The Spanish is fine (there's not much, and there's a glossary), the maths is fine (I'm told there will be more of a teacher's lesson in it to come in the finished product), but the text is a bit ploddy, discussing each and every twist and turn all the boxes etc go through before the wall is done. Yes there is a fun kind-of-a-twist to close, but for all the edifying maths involved this doesn't make for a volume many would volunteer to reread. Three and a bit stars out of generosity.

This is a cute bilingual story about a brother and sister. It resonates with me as I have 2 children and the younger one always wants to be involved with what the older one is doing. Much like the little girl in the story he comes through like a wrecking ball and big sister is always building walls and towers for him to destroy. I liked that the brother and sister came together to play in the end. I appreciated that there was an educational element at the end in translating the Spanish words into English. Great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for access to this ARC!

A diverse story about learning patience with younger siblings. This story incorporates math through the use of measurements. The main character tries to build a wall to keep his baby sister away from his toys. In the end, he realizes that she only wants to play with him. I love the Spanish words added throughout with definitions at the end. With the population of US Spanish speakers rising, this can be a valuable tool for children of all backgrounds.