Grandma begins preparing for the Christmas holiday long before the month of December. She earns the money needed to put presents under the tree for her children and grandchildren by selling tamales made in her kitchen, “the heartbeat of our familia.” The escalating tamale count is tracked through the fall, from an initial 15 dozen tamales to 150 dozen by Halloween to 575 dozen by early December. When she reaches 850 dozen, Grandma’s earned enough to start shopping, but she’s not done yet. As the household holiday preparations progress, Grandma works relentlessly, until she’s made 1,000 dozen tamales. Grandma’s gift is much more than the boxes under the tree in this celebration of work undertaken with love, and a large, multi-generational Latine family that appreciates and supports one another. An affectionate tone permeates the text and the warm-hued illustrations.

Before the first Christmas light is strung, Grandma is hard at work, making thousands of tamales to sell so she can buy gifts for her family! This heartwarming tale, based on a true story, explores a grandmother's boundless generosity, and the irresistible magic of tamales.

A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

When the weather changes, but way before the Christmas tree is decorated, Grandma begins her preparations. With so many children and grandchildren in her family, she finds a way to put gifts under the tree-- she sells as many tamales as she can! Masa in one hand, corn husks in the other, Grandma’s just getting started. 15 dozen tamales. As Halloween passes, and Thanksgiving, Grandma is still toiling away in the kitchen: 150 dozen tamales, 700 dozen tamales, 850 dozen tamales. When it’s time to string the lights for Christmas, she’s inching closer to 1000 dozen tamales! Enough to give some to those in need and enough to sell to earn money for Christmas gifts.

Based on the author’s own grandmother, who was the heart of the familia, here is a warm story about Christmas, generosity, and, yes, tamales.