Abuelita and I Make Flan

This is an adorable story about Anita and her abuelita making flan together! There is a combination of Spanish and English throughout, with a handy translation guide at the end. There is also a recipe for flan at the end! I loved this story, and the illustrations were beautiful.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Charlesbridge for a free digital copy.

A sweet cooking story of a little girl and your grandmother as they make flan for her grandfather's birthday. I liked the inclusion of the recipe and Spanish words.

This is a great book to celebrate diversity and multiculturalism. The story is about a young girl who is learning a traditional recipe from her grandparents. As an early years teacher, I think this book would be a great introduction to a unit on families, traditions, culture or even nutrition. I also think this is a great opportunity to add books to a classroom library that reflect diversity and that students may see themselves represented and welcome. The story also centres on the fear the child has when she breaks an important family heirloom and is afraid to tell her family. It shows that people make mistakes but family is what is important - a valuable lesson for young learners. The story ends with a Spanish glossary as well as a recipe for the flan described in the book. I feel this would be a great book for teachers or parents of children probably aged 4-9 or so. I appreciate Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book to review. I look forward to one day purchasing a copy for my class library and I think you should get a copy too!

Thank you to Charlesbridge and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Abuelita and I Make Flan by Adriana Hernández Bergstrom is a lovely #ownvoices children's book about a Cuban grandmother making a special recipe. The story revolves around Anita, who is helping her abuela make flan for her abuelo's birthday. But what will happen when she accidentally breaks the flan dish? Can she tell her abuelita the truth, or has she ruined her abuelo's birthday with her mistake?

Overall, Abuelita and I Make Flan is an absolutely delightful children's book about family and Cuban culture. One highlight of this book is that as a teacher of many English Language Learners whose home language is Spanish, I can imagine using this book in the classroom. I'm sure that my students would appreciate reading a book that has conversations in Spanish in it. In addition, another highlight is the glossary of Spanish terms. If you're intrigued by the description, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in August!

Abuelita and I Make Flan was such a cute and informative book! I loved the text features (labels and more). This book was not just heartwarming — it was inspiring and fact-finding! As a teacher, I would love to have this book in my own classroom!

Abuelita and I Make Flan is a cute book that tells the story of a little girl who is excited to make flan with her grandmother. Before they begin, she breaks the special plate they always use and so she spends part of the story wondering if she should tell her grandmother what happened. I love the cross-generational part of this story, especially when they talk about all the ways she can help her grandmother since her hands are stiff with arthritis. I really appreciated the Spanish throughout the book. This is a lovely story that celebrates family and culture.

Such a heartwarming, loving, and overall a nice read.

It was about Anita who gets to join her grandmother to make flan for her grandfather’s birthday. But something unexpected happened, and Anita’s on a clock in telling her grandmother before the flan is ready.

The illustrations were charming, and it fitted the story really well. This story was a great way to learn children about how telling the truth is a good thing, and not something to worry about/or dread. Usually, telling the truth is simply owning up to what happened, and in telling the truth as soon as possible means that we can learn trusting one another. Trust grows when we are honest with each other. I think that’s a great message. Especially when you are growing up and nervous about mistakes we have done.

I also really liked the small dictionary at the back. As a person who’s native language is Norwegian, it was good to see and understand the text better with the translations in the back.

I’d recommend this!

Anita accidentally breaks her grandmother’s special serving dish from Cuba…when that dish is used to flip over flan, which they are about to make. Making flan takes hours, but the anxiety mounts because of course Anita’s secret will come out once people realize the serving dish is missing. The familial exchanges and the togetherness of baking are both sweet. A recipe, translations, and personal author photos are included at the end to add extra dimensions to this already engaging picture book. I read this via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

I love book that represent cultural diversity and enlighten young kids on different nationalities, religious values, ethnicity etc in an entertaining and cordial way. 'Abuelita and I Make Flan' is one bright example of those sweetest stories successfully melting hearts. Anita shares a tight bond with her grandparents and wants to surprise her abuelo on his birthday by preparing Flan served on a traditional Cuban plate close to their heart. But what happens when she breaks the plate? Will she come clean or keep it a secret? How will she save the precious day she's been so eagerly waiting to celebrate from ruination?

It was short and adorable read. The illustrations accompanying the story were as cute and sweet as Anita's heartfelt efforts. I had a hard time interpreting the words. It disrupted my flow couple of times. There is a glossary at the end but I would have appreciated it if it were at the beginning of this book. I know that's not usually the case, just stating my opinion. There is also a recipe that I would love to try out. Now what stood out to me more than anything was the acknowledgement. Does it sound weird? It warmed my heart and made me smile. Saying anything will be spoiling it. You need to read the book yourself to find out!

Thank you Netgalley and the author for providing me with an e-copy! I truly enjoyed it.

Learning new cultures or affirming the culture of our families is what I appreciated about this children's book. A grandmother and her granddaughter share making a bread together. Family is a common good in all cultures and so important to teach our children.



A special thank you to Charlesbridge and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

This is my first book by Adriana Hernandez Bergstrom and I enjoyed it !

I enjoyed reading the story if Anita who loves baking with her grandma. One day they decide to bake flan for Abuelo's birthday but with the excitement she drops something special.

The book touches on family ,history ,honesty and forgiveness. I enjoyed this book so much and recommend it. I received a complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are my own.

A lovely look at a Cuban dish and family tradition through the eyes of little Anita. It's her Abeulo's (grandfather's) birthday, and today she gets to help her Abuelita (grandmother) make Flan for the party. Only, before they start, Anita accidently breaks the special serving tray they always use. And as she's helping Abeulita make the flan, she's nervous the whole time about what will happen when she tells Abeulo and Abeulita about the broken serving dish. In the end, everything works out and she learns a little bit about her Abeulo as well.

I loved this book, but as someone whose Spanish is very basic, I needed to reference the translations in the back quite a bit. Still an amazing read for our family, and my little now wants to use the Flan recipe to make our own flan sometime soon!

I was provided an ARC copy of this book through Netgalley. My thanks to the publisher and the author for providing it to me. 4.5 stars!

A little girl and her Abuelita (grandmother) are going to make flan for Abuelo (grandfather). It's his favorite, an "upside-down" cheesecake with caramel sauce. The girl is excited and accidentally breaks the storied crystal family flan platter.

Making the treat is fun, and waiting for it is hard, but the girl worried about the platter. She tells the truth, and it has a great ending with a small twist.

A simple story with a recipe for flan and a Spanish to English translation key in back for readers who don't recognize all of the Spanish spoken in the story. (Very helpful!)

4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the preview of the ebook pdf. The review was voluntary.

#AbuelitaAndIMakeFlan #NetGalley

It's lovely to see different cultural backgrounds and personal stories in children's books! And the book is also helpful for little Spanish learners too, but the words were kind of hard. I liked the photos of original abuelitos at the back as well! It was lovely!

Thank you Charlesbridge and NetGalley for approving my request on the arc of this little book!

A young girl makes flan with her Cuba-American abuela, but something goes wrong. This beautifully illustrated book celebrates family and culture while also teaching the importance of honesty, forgiveness, and love. The author's incorporates some Spanish words/phrases (glossary included) into the text as well as some humor . This is a title that I would read aloud to the children at my library.

This is a story about a little girl named Anita who is excited to make flan with her Abuelita for her Abuelo’s birthday. She accidentally breaks the crystal flan dish before they begin making flan, and she is nervous the whole time she is baking with Abuelita. When Anita finally breaks down and tells the truth, she is met with the most heartwarming response.

My 4 year old twin girls loved following along with the story and the recipe. It reminded them of how we make muffins and cupcakes together. I love how the author included the actual flan recipe, pictures of her family, and a glossary of Spanish terms at the end.

This is a beautiful culturally rich story about love, family, honesty, and forgiveness.

Thank you to Charlesbridge and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This adorable book centers around a little girl and her Aubelita making dessert for the family. In the process, she breaks a glass, and is scared to tell in fear of the repercussions.

This story is a beautiful one that reminds us as well as our children about the importance of truthfulness and family.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange of my honest opinion.

I do love to read stories about Grandchildren spending quality time with their Grandparents. It fills my heart with warmth and make me think about all the good times I had with my Grandmother.

In Abuelita and I Make Flan, we follow Anita and her Grandma, who are about to start cooking a flan for Grandad's birthday!

The story is sweet, cute, fun and with a great end and beautiful illustrations!

I loved it!

It’s Abuelo’s (Spanish for grandfather) birthday and Anita is going to make flan with her Abuelita (Spanish for grandmother)! She’s so excited, but oh no! she’s making mistakes left and right. Will she ruin the celebration or will she save the day?

A wonderfully inclusive Cuban story weaving in Spanish and English effortlessly. A story about multi-generational familial traditions, the bravery of truthtelling, and learning that mistakes are okay.

I received an electronic ARC from Charlesbridge through NetGalley.
Anita is excited to make flan for her Abuelo's birthday. She is Abuelita's top assistant and knows exactly what to do to make this dessert. She even knows the special plate it is always served on. Unfortunately, she breaks the crystal plate. Readers see this weigh on her during the baking process until she tells the truth. She creates a new tradition with another special plate.
A charming story about family and traditions that readers will connect with. Terrific family read aloud.

'Abuelita and I Make Flan' by Adriana Hernandez Bergstrom. This is a truly unique, beautifully illustrated, and beautifully written story; about a young girl and her Abuelita who are making flan for Abuelo's birthday. Anita loves to bake with her Abuelita, however when she breaks her Grandmother's special serving plate, from Cuba, Anita struggles with what to do and how to fix the mess she's made.

This story is my definition of perfection. It ticks every box for a children's book.
Well-written - tick
Good, flowing plot line - tick
Top-tier characters - definite tick

I love the dynamic between Anita and her Abuelita, the warmth their relationship emits is truly special. The story is child-friendly in the sense it is something pupils in EYFS/ KS1 (pupils aged 7 and under) will be able to read, and easily follow. The illustrations are warm, and bring this already beautiful story to life. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Rated: 5 stars

Thank you so much to Netgallery and Charlesbridge Publishing for allowing me to read such a warm-hearted story. My review will be published to Toppsta, Goodreads, and my Bookstagram under the username reading_with_chlo.

I loved this book! It's always nice to read children's books that bring in traditions and cultures from around the world. In Abuelita and I Make Flan, Anita makes flan with her Abuela for her Abuelo's birthday. When Anita breaks the plate that Abuela has been using for years to serve the flan, Anita worries that she will anger Abuela. Instead, we witness a beautiful message and some truth behind the beloved flan serving plate.

I appreciated the Spanish translations in the back, as well as the recipe for Cheese Flan. The pictures were also a nice and personal touch!

Abuelita and I make Flan is a sweet book about a girl helping her Abuelita make flan for her Abuelo's birthday. When Anita accidentally breaks the special plate the flan is meant to be presented on she struggles to figure out what she needs to do. The little twist at the end is great and it made me smile. This book felt so honest (and it's about telling the truth, so it's very fitting) and it dealt with it's subject in a way that will appeal to young readers. I also loved the fact that the recipe is included at the end because I know for a fact some of our young patrons like to try those out. Highly recommend for all public libraries.

This book would be a wonderful addition to the classroom! I really like the Spanish words embedded throughout. The storyline is something that many children can relate to. The family dynamics are warm and loving. Also incudes a recipe for flan at the end!

Representation: 10
Story: 10
Illustration: 10

Before you even think about it – as I did throughout the book – yes, we get the recipe at the end. Win!

I adored this story. It is touching and heartwarming. Abuelita and I Make Flan helps children with many skills – it encourages collaboration, respect, honesty, and cooking (which is a great way to help children develop math and scientific thinking skills)

** Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review. **

This is a good book, a gentle reminder how precious little children are, mostly to their grandparents. Based on true story (I presume), it was amazing to learn some new words in Spanish. The pretty illustrations are also a plus point of the book.

This was a cute story about a girl and her grandparents. Families will enjoy reading it together and they can even try to make flan together after reading. A glossary for Spanish words used in the text is included.

I enjoyed reading Abuelita and I Make Flan. Just wish I had some flan to go along with it. I like how the author included a recipe at the end. My daughter and mother in law love baking up a storm. I saw the similarities between them two and the characters in the story. I will be buying this book for them to share together as well as for my library.

Thanks to NetGalley and its author for providing me with an advanced copy.

Abuelita and her grand-daughter are cooking a flan to celebrate grandpa's birthday. However, she did something wrong and it might be punished because of the probability to get mad her abuelita or abuelo. Hence, she tried to...

Well i think you must to guess what's next. In my point of view this is a wonderful story to read with a kid,

4.2

Ability and I Make Flan is a wonderful story. As a teacher with many Spanish speaking students this book would be wonderful in the classroom as a read aloud. Great story line about family, making mistakes and honesty. Would highly recommend.

Such a good picture book that shows the bond between grandparents and the kids.

This is a story about Abuelita who's celebrating her birthday. She thinks things went wrong but her grandmother comes to her rescue. They have fun together making something beautiful and yummy together.

The illustration is so good. The art sequence is attractive and gives all the fun vibes to the story.

I love how this story focuses on how grandparents and grandchildren bond over the smallest yet the most important things they do together.

Thank you, Charlesbridge, for the advance reading copy.

This was an interesting book. I love how the Spanish language was present throughout without translations (unless you looked in back). It was a family slipping from one language to another without missing a beat. It made the book feel very real life. The story is of a granddaughter making Flan with her grandmother, and accidently breaking the Flan plate. This was a great intergenerational and intercultural story. It could be used for some many different story times or activities and I can see it on school library shelves for quite a while.

This was a cute book! I liked the illustration style and the story was cute, though perhaps a bit wordier then I try and pick for story-time. I did appreciate the fact that they included a recipe and translations in the back, though from context clues you don't really need it even if you don't understand everything. I really liked how the visuals were conveyed in the book, such as well she's helping her abuela grab ingredients or her apology when she finally confessed to breaking the plate. Overall a sweet selection that will reassure readers that telling the truth isn't as scary as it might seem!

Thank you to the author, Charlesbridge and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautifully written and illustrated children's book about family traditions, that shows it's okay to make mistakes as long as you are truthful. We loved the multi-generational and multicultural aspect of this story, although it would have been helpful to have the English translations of the Spanish texts more accessible (rather than in a glossary at the end of the book). The children I read this with were intrigued with the recipe, as was I, and we plan to make our own flan soon!

I love finding beautiful picture books that my little girls enjoy. Both of them, ages seven and two, love Abuelita and I Make Flan. The pictures are beautiful, the story is delightful, and there is a delicious recipe at the end.
Anita is excited about today. She is going to help her grandmother, her Abuelita, make a flan for Abuelo‘s birthday. Of course, they will flip it out onto the special plate that Abuelita brought from Cuba many, many years ago. However, Anita makes a big mistake. If she confesses what she did, well Abuelita still love her? All the time that they make the flan, she worries. How can she find the courage to confess what she did?
Abuelita and I Make Flan is a delightful glimpse into the life of a Cuban family. It is a beautiful story about love and forgiveness. I also like the way this book introduces a food that most children don’t know about. The beautiful, colourful pictures add to the attraction of this book.
I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

This is a lovely story about bonding with grandparents over food, cooking, and family traditions. Anita is excited to make flan with her grandmother and goes to look at the special plate they always use, but, in her excitement, she breaks it. She's devastated and very worried about telling them, but learns a very special lesson about what's important in a family.

This is such a sweet story, and very relatable for young kids. The flan looks and sounds delicious too and I love that the recipe was included. The only thing that tripped me up a bit was that the story features very heavy Spanglish that is untranslated in context. A glossary is included at the end, but that doesn't help much when abuela says "I have to stir despacito para que no me salpique!" and, even speaking basic Spanish myself, I have no idea what that means or how to pronounce it correctly. If you're planning to read this aloud you may want to give it a pre-read so you can clarify for the kids.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

I loved this story and can’t wait to see the final copy so I can add to my child’s shelf! Flan is my favorite dessert and such a task to make this story of connection to grandparents and cooking as a family is so special to me I adore

Very sweet book about making flan with grandma. I love the inclusivity. I would prefer that some of the illustrations be changed slightly to not have the child be doing things in the kitchen that are unsafe, but I don't know that kids would pick up on it.

Culture, food, loving grandmothers – there’s not more you can ask for in a children’s book (or any book, quite frankly). One little kiddo has never actually made flan before – but today is a big day, because his Abuela is going to teach him how it’s done. Abuelita is from Cuba and is an expert in making flan – if that wasn’t enough it’s also her birthday. Flan is a recipe that Abuelita emphasizes takes time, patience, and love – three themes that soar throughout this book. A beautiful story not only of patience and love and home, but also of youth versus old age, and the love exuded when this little one helps his grandmother with the preparation aspects she cannot perform due to the arthritis in her hands. Bonus: this one includes some Spanish as well, to not only help your little ones with their English reading skills, but to also introduce them to foreign languages. The best lesson of all is that love and time spent with loved ones trumps all accidents and mistakes.

"Abuelita and I Make Flan" by Adriana Hernández Bergstrom is an absolute gem of a children's book that celebrates the warmth of family, the joy of baking, and the beauty of Cuban culture. From the moment I opened its pages, I was transported into Anita's kitchen, where the delicious aroma of flan fills the air and love abounds.

The story follows Anita as she helps her abuela prepare flan for her abuelo's birthday, but a mishap threatens to derail their plans when Anita accidentally breaks her abuela's cherished flan serving plate. The heartwarming tale of honesty, forgiveness, and creativity that unfolds is both endearing and uplifting, reminding readers of the importance of honesty and communication in family relationships.

I found myself rooting for Anita as she grapples with the decision to tell her abuela the truth, fearing that she has ruined her abuelo's special day. But as Anita learns, mistakes happen, and what truly matters is how we handle them. Watching Anita and her abuela work together to find a solution warmed my heart and left me with a smile on my face.

One of the highlights of "Abuelita and I Make Flan" is its celebration of Cuban culture, from the mouthwatering descriptions of traditional Cuban desserts to the inclusion of Spanish terms that add authenticity to the story. The glossary of Spanish terms at the end of the book is a wonderful addition, allowing readers to learn and appreciate the rich language of Cuba.

Overall, "Abuelita and I Make Flan" is a delightful and heartwarming children's book that will captivate readers of all ages. Its charming illustrations, relatable characters, and uplifting message make it a perfect read-aloud for families and classrooms alike. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a heartwarming story about love, forgiveness, and the joy of baking with loved ones.