Best Believe by NoNieqa Ramos is a lovely short children's book about three exemplary Puerto Rican sisters who paved the way for many Latinos in the U.S. and New York. With accomplishments such as starting Hostos Community College, these women broke barriers and led Latinos to new heights.

This book does an excellent job of informing and entertaining in equal measure. While it tells us a fair amount about the subject, it does so in a lyrical way that is a joy to read. It would be excellent read aloud.

This was a pleasant, informative read. I enjoyed learning about Las Tres Hermanas and their activism. The writing flowed nicely and the illustrations were striking and rich.
This is a perfect book for classroom read-alouds and libraries, celebrating women's herstory and Hispanic heritage.
Thank you NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for allowing me early access to the ARC ebook edition of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Brightly colored and well written, this is a nice addition to a picture book biography section about three women my library patrons may never have heard of. Most picture book biographies are light on historical detail, so some readers might like a little more context, but the text is clear and offers a positive impression of three very important women.

This has a lot more potential than it delivers. The prose is fragmented but not in a way that feels authentically colloquial - just clumsy. It seems that perhaps there was an intended rhyme scheme, but I think my inability to discern as much is indicative of textual awkwardness.

Best Believe follows the story of three sisters who left Puerto Rico for a better life in America. The During the depression, chasing the American Dream led to disappointment rather than opportunity. These sisters instituted change for improvements in the Bronx and became known as royalty in the neighborhood. The Tres Hermanas, Evalina Antonetty, Lilian Lopez and Elba Cabrera were responsible for social change that improved life in the Bronx. NoNiequa has written an interesting biography of the “Tres Hermanas” that will hold the interest of young readers and Nicole Medina’s colorful illustrations provide a festive feel to the book celebrating these ladies. The book has an afterward which includes a glossary and a timeline for the women.



Evalina Antonetty was an activist who founded United Bronx Parents and with the help of her sisters worked to improve the schools, demanding bilingual instruction, qualified teachers and principals of color, and quality school lunches. Lilian Lopez became the librarian and administrator responsible for Spanish speaking library staff and bilingual and Spanish literature in the New York City libraries. The youngest sister, Elba Cabrera was instrumental in promoting the Hispanic Arts scene in the Bronx. This book shares some Latina Herstory which can inspire girls of all colors.

I wish to thank the publisher for an electronic review copy of this book. I recommend it for youngsters wishing to know about social activism in the twentieth century. It is a must have for classrooms and school libraries.

This excellent book is written mostly in English but with many Spanish words used in appropriate ways. I can read a little Spanish and there was nothing I couldn't understand. The three sisters who were born in Puerto Rico and moved to the Bronx grew to become college graduates, activists, one a librarian, motivators for social change, and the importance of learning and library access for all.
They helped others to learn that "taking care of one another in times of need is the superpower of a community." There is also a glossary, a timeline, a bibliography and more.
The book is brilliantly and delightfully illustrated by Nicole Medina.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age, great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your public library!
I requested and received a temporary electronic copy on Adobe Digital Editions from Lerner Publishing Group, Carolrhoda Books ® via NetGalley. Thank you!

#Latinex #PuertoRico #UnitedBronxParents #SpanishBilingualBooks #SpanishSpeakingLibraryStaff.

With bold and colorful illustrations Best Believe teaches kids about three sisters who mad a big difference in their Bronx community. A good introduction about making a difference.

Here's to women unafraid to make change: "Best Believe" tells the tale of three sisters—Evelina, Lillian, and Elba—who moved from Puerto Rico to the Bronx as children. Coming of age in the 1940s, they saw (and felt firsthand) how many barriers to success people of color faced...and they set about doing something about it. Together and separately, they fought for affordable and equal education, libraries (and library resources) for all, programs to ensure kids had enough to eat during the summer, and more.

The illustrations are a little hit or miss for me—I like them in general, but the kids' faces tend to look prematurely lined—but I absolutely love seeing more children's nonfiction about unsung heroes, and this is no exception. This would make an excellent addition to school libraries, especially in places with large Hispanic populations—more diversity in libraries, and more chances for kids to see people from their communities represented in books, always. I'll add that the unsung hero of the book is the women's mother, who was a single parent. The book doesn't say a ton about her (I'm guessing there's just not that much out there), but you have to be doing something right to raise three powerhouses for change.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

This is a beautifully illustrated book about three puertorriqueña sisters who've had a lasting impact on the Bronx. The rhythm of the writing was engaging and upbeat, and the illustrations are vibrant and beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing for an ARC of this book.

Best Believe caught my eye because the cover was so incredibly eye catching. Bright vivid colors and of course three strong women on the cover. Having never heard of The Tres Hermanas, I definitely wanted to give this one a read.

The formatting of the ARC was not great (obviously not the book's fault) but I managed to get it situated to where I could read it. All in all, I found the illustrations to be really nice and like the cover, full of color! The story of the sisters hit what I'm assuming were the highlights of their lives. What was covered in the book was definitely enough I think for younger readers to understand the impact these women had within the Bronx.

The issues I had with the book were simple things -- I'm not a huge fan of the word "herstory" but that's just a personal preference. I also wished I had known that there was a glossary in the back because I definitely thought there were words in the book that younger readers would likely not know... so the glossary is definitely a great inclusion. I just wish that was mentioned at the start of the book somewhere.

All in all, this would be a good book for general use in a classroom but also a really great one for Hispanic Heritage Month. And while I don't think it is a must-buy, I think it could definitely be a great addition to a classroom or library.

This is a well-written and illustrated nonfiction book about 3 sisters who contributed to the advancement of life in their Bronx community. I’d never heard of these Puerto Rican sisters, but I’m so glad this children’s book is teaching about them and their bravery despite adversity. I hope children from all backgrounds will earn respect for work done by “the Tres Hermanas”.