Too Many Tamales

Maria is helping her mother make tamales for Christmas when she tries on her mother's diamond ring — and later realizes it's gone. Convinced the ring is inside one of the tamales, she and her cousins eat every single one trying to find it. Soto writes with the warmth and specificity of someone who grew up in this kitchen, at this table, with these cousins. The holiday chaos, the tamale-making as ritual, the family that laughs at the disaster together. The picture book that most completely captures the specific joy of a Latin American family holiday — not as cultural display but as lived warmth.