Starred review from October 14, 2024
“Some kids had one job: to be a kid. Cecilia worked two.” When not playing soccer or engaging in kid life, Cecilia serves as an interpreter between her Spanish-speaking parents and their English-speaking community. Abtahi (Twin Flames), making a well-developed picture book debut, tracks the back-and-forth in text bubbles—blue for English and orange for Spanish—as Cecilia is called in “to all kinds of grown-up places. Places her classmates had never been.” On one page, she translates a doctor’s orders for her gravely sick baby sister; on another, she omits a hairdresser’s unkind remark about her mother’s hair. Finally, asked at a parent-teacher conference how she’s doing, Cecilia reflects on her load, communicating how interpreting is impacting her day-to-day. Employing differing uniforms—striped duds for kid activities and a too-big green business suit for translation work—lively watercolor and pencil crayon illustrations from Arnaldo (The Museum of Very Bad Smells) show the strain of Cecilia’s moving back and forth, until supportive changes help her become a kid who’s happy to help, “...just not all the time.” Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. A Spanish edition publishes simultaneously. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Illustrator’s agent: Alexandra Levick, Writers House.