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YOUNGER FICTION
Bates, Janet Costa

Rica Baptista: Llamas, Iguanas, and My Very Best Friend

128 pp. | Candlewick | October, 2022 | Trade ISBN 978-1-5362-1630-1 $16.99
(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Gladys Jose. Eight-year-old Rica (short for Frederica) Baptista desperately wants a pet. When she overhears a conversation that leads her to believe her best friend, Laini, will be moving, getting a pet feels even more urgent in order to ward off loneliness. The breezy chapter book, peppered with cartoon-style illustrations, is a fresh look at evergreen themes. Rica and Laini brainstorm ways to convince Rica's parents that she is responsible enough to care for a pet while planning moneymaking schemes, which are supported by extended family and neighbors--with mixed results. In the end it's an unselfish act of kindness that persuades Rica's parents that she is ready to adopt a cat from the local shelter. The satisfying story closes with some additional happy news about Laini's family. Rica's first-person narration is convincing and endearing. She bounces from one grand plan to a major worry and then on to a new plan. Her mother reminds Rica that she is named after her great-great-grandfather, who emigrated from Cape Verde to the U.S. and was a businessperson and a philanthropist whose community depended on him. By the end of the book, Rica proves that she, too, is a dependable and vital member of her community.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

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