The Birthday Swap

by Loretta Lopez

A five-year-old Mexican American girl who will not be six until December has a great deal to celebrate when her sister swaps birthdays with her in the summer

Genres: Picture Books, Cultural, Latinx, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Samantha Marapese · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book, but it was not one of my favorites. The idea behind the book is a cute idea, but I would have liked to see it have a little more Spanish influence behind it. More Spanish words could have been incorporated into the book to make it more helpful for ELL students. Having only Happy Birthday written in English and Spanish only gives ELL students one phrase to connect to English, yet they will be lost on all the other words. This would have been much better if there were more areas for an ELL student to connect with.

[Gabriella]

Awards: none
Recommended ages: 7

Summary: This book is full of colorful illustrations, a story that involves culture and a language and is an entertaining read.

Review: This book is great for students to learn about another culture, be introduced to another language and be entertained with a nice story. The text is a moderate amount and can be read by ages 6-7.

In Class Uses: unit about culture, morning read, transition.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute, and I liked the illustrations more in this one, but the story didn't really do it for me. The puppy was cute though.

[Katie Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book about the love of two sisters. It also does a good job of representing Mexico.

[Salena Palacio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book because of the vibrant illustrations. The themes of this book are sharing, giving and cultural traditions. This book is about a Mexican American girl named Lori. It’s the day before Lori’s sister, Cookie’s birthday. Lori is determined to find the perfect gift. While out with her mom running errands for the birthday party on a trip across the border in Mexico Lori admires different items including a birthday cake and a pinata. The next day to her surprise, the celebration turns out to be for her with all the birthday details she admired the day before. Cookie swapped birthdays with Lori since she’s never had a birthday party before since it’s in December and cold. Lori’s sister Cookie does an unthinkable selfless act for her sister, swaps birthdays with her. This book is appropriate for children ages 4 to 8 years old. After reading the book I would ask students, Why did Lori want to give Cookie a special gift? What surprise was waiting for Lori? How did the swap affect Lori and Cookie. We would follow up with creating a timeline of the events that happened that led to the birthday swap.

[Cat]

This book is about a surprise party. It is about two girls that want to celebrate their birthday. Lori wants to get Cookie a present and goes to find something with her mother. They go to Mexico to visit a bakery, but it turns out the party is actually for her! The things she wanted when out with her mother she got as a surprise.

[Megan Beaverson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Birthday Swap was written and illustrated by Loretta Lopez and published by Lee & Low Books Inc in 1997. This book is Realistic Fiction and would be valuable for upper elementary school age because of the colorful illustrations, it teaches kindness/selflessness. Most importantly this book has a cultural component as it teaches about Mexican/American heritage.