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My Papi Has a Motorcycle
A celebration of the love between a father and daughter, and of a vibrant immigrant neighborhood, by an award-winning author and illustrator duo.
When Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle, she sees the people and places she's always known. She also sees a community that is rapidly changing around her.
But as the sun sets purple-blue-gold behind Daisy Ramona and her papi, she knows that the love she feels will always be there.
With vivid illustrations and text bursting with heart, My Papi Has a Motorcycle is a young girl's love letter to her hardworking dad and to memories of home that we hold close in the midst of change.
When Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle, she sees the people and places she's always known. She also sees a community that is rapidly changing around her.
But as the sun sets purple-blue-gold behind Daisy Ramona and her papi, she knows that the love she feels will always be there.
With vivid illustrations and text bursting with heart, My Papi Has a Motorcycle is a young girl's love letter to her hardworking dad and to memories of home that we hold close in the midst of change.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published May 14, 2019
46 people are currently reading
1556 people want to read
About the author
Isabel Quintero
12 books390 followersIsabel Quintero is a writer, poet, teacher, wife, friend, sister, daughter, granddaughter, aunt niece, and a bunch of other things. She lives in the Inland Empire, where she was born and raised by Mexican immigrant parents and Mexican immigrant granddparents; the hospital where she was born in was converted to a Lowe's hardware store. That's how long ago she was born.
She learned to love reading and the written word from a very young age when her mother used to read to her Amelia Bedelia. That love was fostered by teachers and professors throughout her schooling and she is sure if they hadn't boosted her ego for all those years she would have never dared letting the world see what she had written.
Gabi, A Girl in Pieces is her first young adult novel.
She learned to love reading and the written word from a very young age when her mother used to read to her Amelia Bedelia. That love was fostered by teachers and professors throughout her schooling and she is sure if they hadn't boosted her ego for all those years she would have never dared letting the world see what she had written.
Gabi, A Girl in Pieces is her first young adult novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 751 reviews
June 29, 2019
In American culture the motorcycle has long stood as a symbol of freedom and escape. Easy Rider, The Wild One, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (sorta), these are all books and films that equate motorcycles with independence. So what is the role of the motorcycle in children’s books? To answer that, I had to come to the realization that by and large, motorcycles aren’t very common in books for kids. Aside from Hagrid gunning through the sky and the occasional title like Granny the Pag (which is worth Googling, if you have a minute or two to spare) motorcycles are usually swapped out for bikes. And bikes kids have in abundance. They’re fairly common. Motorcycles, on the other hand, are magnificent and rare. Given all of this, you would think that in a book like My Papi Has a Motorcycle, the heroine, Daisy, would ride around with her Papi, fantasizing about all the other places in the world she might visit. What makes this book interesting is that it is exactly the opposite of that expectation. At no point that Daisy wish herself anywhere but where she is. When you are young and in your home, you notice things the adults might not. Blink, and you might just miss something. Something like this book.
Everyday, when Daisy’s father’s truck pulls into her driveway, she tears outside with both of their helmets. It doesn’t matter if he’s exhausted from his day of building other people’s houses. Without fail, he will pull her helmet tight and the two will tear off on his motorcycle for a ride around town. Set in Corona, California (former “Lemon Capital of the World”) Quintero’s pens an exquisite ode to her childhood home, even as Zeke Peña brings every detail, from a Labradoodle to a shaved ice, to rip-roaring life beneath his pen.
A book may have something to say, but how it says it makes all the difference. Read this book repeatedly and you can’t help but feel grateful when Quintero includes lines like, “The sun, the sun, the bright orange sun is on its way down, turning our sky blue and purple and gold.” Her words beg you to read them aloud and savor their cadences, like a dark chocolate from your pillow. But let’s back up even further. Writing pretty words can be hard, but how do you even begin to construct a picture book plot around a motorcycle ride? This book is devoid of an obvious villain, save for those forces that would cause Don Rudy’s Raspados de Frutas Naturales to close (and even that works out, in its way, at the book’s end). That means that Ms. Quintero must somehow simultaneously narrate Daisy’s ride, offer running commentary on her appreciation of the town itself, and give some context to the places father and daughter visit in their wake. This isn’t a quest story because the only goal here is to do a loop and return home. If the book is a love letter to Corona, California, then that’s in large part because the setting is, itself, the third main character. This is a book about loving where you are and appreciating what’s around you at all times. The characters aren’t changed by the experience in any great and grand way. This is that rarest of all beasts: a tale of a perfectly happy girl doing something fun with no ultimate end goal in mind. You can make a story out of that? As odd as it may sound, you betcha. But to do it well, defer to Isabel Quintero.
For fun, I try to pinpoint the exact moment I became aware of artist Zeke Peña’s work. But it’s not a difficult question. It happened in 2015, when the Cinco Puntos Press YA novel Gabi: A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero (name sound familiar, anyone?) became the winner of the William C. Morris Award for a YA Debut Novel. The cover of that book looked absolutely nothing like any of the other YA samey same same books cranked out by the big name publishers. I was intrigued and a little repelled by the book’s jacket. What’s truly remarkable, though, is how wide a range Peña has. Surrealism comes to him naturally, but he can be as factual and straight edge as the best of them (see: Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide by . . . . Isabel Quintero?!?). My Papi Has a Motorcycle marks his first fictional picture book, which is dangerous. Whenever a professional illustrator turns their sights on the children’s book publishing world, there is a distinct danger that they will dumb down whatever it is that makes them great. Not so here. In this book he's gone a little more straight edge, but the flavor of his best work remains.
In this book, Peña uses eclectic visual elements to aid in the storytelling. The bike and its riders become “a spectacular celestial thing” on a page of white hot energy alongside the fires of a pure orange ground. Watch the typography of the words on the page. The way in which Peña changes the angle at which you watch the action, sometimes close or far or from above or down below, etc. Take stock of the details of the city itself and how perfectly the artist renders a cactus against a chain link fence. Then consider the color palette. How the book feels like a mix of comics and reality right down to the speech balloons. This is the man’s first picture book? I don’t know how much work it was to get this book into this shape, but after a debut of this sort, clearly he can never, ever stop making them again.
Two recent picture books come immediately to mind when I talk about this book. The first is the Boston Globe-Horn Book Picture Book Award winner The Patchwork Bike by Maxine Beneba Clarke and Van Thanh Rudd. The second is Vroom! by Barbara McClintock. Patchwork Bike involves friends in a small unnamed village in the continent of Africa who have patched together a bike and who ride it joyously in their spare time. Like this book, that one wasn’t about escape, but about the sheer thrill of the ride itself. And like this book, so much of the art is there to convey movement and excitement and sharp turns. Vroom! by McClintock may seem a strange pairing but it also involves a young girl going as fast as her mechanical monster will carry her. In that book a child traverses the world and yet always returns home. In this, a girl travels from, but also within, her home.
Children are forever being picked up and taken to new locations without their input or consent. In this book you can show a kid taking the initiative. Daisy’s papi may be doing the driving, but she’s the one he’s doing it for. And meanwhile, Quintero and Peña are doing this book for YOUR children. Let us, then, all be truly grateful. A father/daughter tale unlike any other out there today. Let's drive!
For ages 4-7
Everyday, when Daisy’s father’s truck pulls into her driveway, she tears outside with both of their helmets. It doesn’t matter if he’s exhausted from his day of building other people’s houses. Without fail, he will pull her helmet tight and the two will tear off on his motorcycle for a ride around town. Set in Corona, California (former “Lemon Capital of the World”) Quintero’s pens an exquisite ode to her childhood home, even as Zeke Peña brings every detail, from a Labradoodle to a shaved ice, to rip-roaring life beneath his pen.
A book may have something to say, but how it says it makes all the difference. Read this book repeatedly and you can’t help but feel grateful when Quintero includes lines like, “The sun, the sun, the bright orange sun is on its way down, turning our sky blue and purple and gold.” Her words beg you to read them aloud and savor their cadences, like a dark chocolate from your pillow. But let’s back up even further. Writing pretty words can be hard, but how do you even begin to construct a picture book plot around a motorcycle ride? This book is devoid of an obvious villain, save for those forces that would cause Don Rudy’s Raspados de Frutas Naturales to close (and even that works out, in its way, at the book’s end). That means that Ms. Quintero must somehow simultaneously narrate Daisy’s ride, offer running commentary on her appreciation of the town itself, and give some context to the places father and daughter visit in their wake. This isn’t a quest story because the only goal here is to do a loop and return home. If the book is a love letter to Corona, California, then that’s in large part because the setting is, itself, the third main character. This is a book about loving where you are and appreciating what’s around you at all times. The characters aren’t changed by the experience in any great and grand way. This is that rarest of all beasts: a tale of a perfectly happy girl doing something fun with no ultimate end goal in mind. You can make a story out of that? As odd as it may sound, you betcha. But to do it well, defer to Isabel Quintero.
For fun, I try to pinpoint the exact moment I became aware of artist Zeke Peña’s work. But it’s not a difficult question. It happened in 2015, when the Cinco Puntos Press YA novel Gabi: A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero (name sound familiar, anyone?) became the winner of the William C. Morris Award for a YA Debut Novel. The cover of that book looked absolutely nothing like any of the other YA samey same same books cranked out by the big name publishers. I was intrigued and a little repelled by the book’s jacket. What’s truly remarkable, though, is how wide a range Peña has. Surrealism comes to him naturally, but he can be as factual and straight edge as the best of them (see: Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide by . . . . Isabel Quintero?!?). My Papi Has a Motorcycle marks his first fictional picture book, which is dangerous. Whenever a professional illustrator turns their sights on the children’s book publishing world, there is a distinct danger that they will dumb down whatever it is that makes them great. Not so here. In this book he's gone a little more straight edge, but the flavor of his best work remains.
In this book, Peña uses eclectic visual elements to aid in the storytelling. The bike and its riders become “a spectacular celestial thing” on a page of white hot energy alongside the fires of a pure orange ground. Watch the typography of the words on the page. The way in which Peña changes the angle at which you watch the action, sometimes close or far or from above or down below, etc. Take stock of the details of the city itself and how perfectly the artist renders a cactus against a chain link fence. Then consider the color palette. How the book feels like a mix of comics and reality right down to the speech balloons. This is the man’s first picture book? I don’t know how much work it was to get this book into this shape, but after a debut of this sort, clearly he can never, ever stop making them again.
Two recent picture books come immediately to mind when I talk about this book. The first is the Boston Globe-Horn Book Picture Book Award winner The Patchwork Bike by Maxine Beneba Clarke and Van Thanh Rudd. The second is Vroom! by Barbara McClintock. Patchwork Bike involves friends in a small unnamed village in the continent of Africa who have patched together a bike and who ride it joyously in their spare time. Like this book, that one wasn’t about escape, but about the sheer thrill of the ride itself. And like this book, so much of the art is there to convey movement and excitement and sharp turns. Vroom! by McClintock may seem a strange pairing but it also involves a young girl going as fast as her mechanical monster will carry her. In that book a child traverses the world and yet always returns home. In this, a girl travels from, but also within, her home.
Children are forever being picked up and taken to new locations without their input or consent. In this book you can show a kid taking the initiative. Daisy’s papi may be doing the driving, but she’s the one he’s doing it for. And meanwhile, Quintero and Peña are doing this book for YOUR children. Let us, then, all be truly grateful. A father/daughter tale unlike any other out there today. Let's drive!
For ages 4-7
September 12, 2021
There is plenty of energy and pop with this story of a girl who loves riding a motorcycle with her father. There is history given in the story of real races and events of the area. The story pays homage to the people who picked the lemons and fruits of the farms and grew the area. There is also plenty of spanish words to expand a growing vocabulary.
I thought the book was fun and very energetic. Anyone who loves motorcycles, I would think could relate to this.
I thought the book was fun and very energetic. Anyone who loves motorcycles, I would think could relate to this.
January 12, 2019
In this singular book, Quintero narrates an afternoon between Daisy and her Papi. They zoom around the city of Corona, California, pointing out the places they know and love. It’s a vibrant tour of tortillerías, churches, and markets, of la casa de abuelita, the construction site where Papi works. Succinctly, it’s home.
An ode to the author’s father and family, with its lyrical style that keeps your eyes glued to the page to the details she talks about. Add to that the colorful nod to the illustrator’s heritage in the way the art style’s full of love and appreciation. The book kept a smile on my face, even in the face of the book’s commentary on how communities of color adapt to a changing socio-economic landscape; it felt like a warm hug from your parents and a loving tribute to a hometown.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the Penguin team for providing a review copy!
An ode to the author’s father and family, with its lyrical style that keeps your eyes glued to the page to the details she talks about. Add to that the colorful nod to the illustrator’s heritage in the way the art style’s full of love and appreciation. The book kept a smile on my face, even in the face of the book’s commentary on how communities of color adapt to a changing socio-economic landscape; it felt like a warm hug from your parents and a loving tribute to a hometown.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the Penguin team for providing a review copy!
June 17, 2019
This picture book has the feel of a graphic novel in places, with the illustrations and onomatopoeia (sometimes in Spanish!) and the general flow of the story. It's a sweet little slice of life featuring a girl and her father and their daily motorcycle ride.
The text really brings the story to life, and although some of the words and imagery might be a little flowery and poetic for the youngest readers, the illustrations are fun to look at and will keep kids engaged. I personally really enjoy books with a feeling of nostalgia like this, even if it's a nostalgia that I can't relate to; when I'm hankering for shaved ice and the smell of sawdust and the whisper of the leaves of the lemon trees, then I know the author and illustrator have done their job.
Ultimately, this is a book about family, memories, and change. The story might be a little gentle and simple for some, but it's well worth reading. (The author's note at the end about the real city depicted in the book is a great addition and an interesting read.)
Quotable moment:
The text really brings the story to life, and although some of the words and imagery might be a little flowery and poetic for the youngest readers, the illustrations are fun to look at and will keep kids engaged. I personally really enjoy books with a feeling of nostalgia like this, even if it's a nostalgia that I can't relate to; when I'm hankering for shaved ice and the smell of sawdust and the whisper of the leaves of the lemon trees, then I know the author and illustrator have done their job.
Ultimately, this is a book about family, memories, and change. The story might be a little gentle and simple for some, but it's well worth reading. (The author's note at the end about the real city depicted in the book is a great addition and an interesting read.)
Quotable moment:
November 16, 2019
2020 Pura Belpré award winner? A love letter from a little girl to her Papi and city. Based on the author's life and hometown; Corona, California.
March 18, 2019
Super cute! I adore the artwork. Really nice story about a little girl exploring her neighborhood and all of its changes (including some gentrification) with her dad on his motorcycle.
December 27, 2018
Isabel Quintero and Zeke Peña: Our new instructors on what it means to look at a place with love.
From her perch on the back of papi's motorcycle, and in language reminiscent of a lazy summer dream, Daisy Ramona takes us on a tour of her city. Tortilleria, stray cats, the market where she gets gummy bears, a raspado place that just closed, her abuelitos' place, her papi's construction site - all are equally important in her eyes, and all equally loved.
The images and words combine to create a beautiful mural of a community, a rich history of immigration and road races, and a memory that glows in the mind's eye the way all the best memories do. By letting us ride along with them, Daisy and her Papá remind us to treasure the places we love, and to love them despite their ever-changing nature.
From her perch on the back of papi's motorcycle, and in language reminiscent of a lazy summer dream, Daisy Ramona takes us on a tour of her city. Tortilleria, stray cats, the market where she gets gummy bears, a raspado place that just closed, her abuelitos' place, her papi's construction site - all are equally important in her eyes, and all equally loved.
The images and words combine to create a beautiful mural of a community, a rich history of immigration and road races, and a memory that glows in the mind's eye the way all the best memories do. By letting us ride along with them, Daisy and her Papá remind us to treasure the places we love, and to love them despite their ever-changing nature.
May 15, 2019
A beautiful, moving story of relationships and the meaning of home, of comunidad. Incredibly illustrated.
June 9, 2019
Books and stories like these are going to play an important role in my son's life. Children need to see people who represent them in tv, books, and movies. I also feel that my son needs to know where he or his dad came from. He will be able to read my stories but others' will help too.
September 14, 2021
Loved this! I felt totally immersed in the little girl's special outing with her father, the love and bond they share with each other and their community. It took me back to my childhood and the special times my dad and I would go out, just the two of us, of how nice it was to have him all to myself and how everything would be just a little more interesting and exciting because it was just the two of us -- and, often, our outings would involve visits to his construction sites or various shops to get supplies for the job site. I got a little choked up when I read this:
"Today, he's going to show me the new houses he's working on.
Papi is careful with my ponytail as he pulls my helmet tight.
When he lifts me onto the smooth black seat his hands don't feel rough, they don't feel tired --they feel like all the love he has trouble saying."
The illustrations are vibrant and full of details and really bring the city of Corona, California to life.
Highly recommend! (Note: there is one illustration of some dogs barking over a fence, wide open mouths and teeth showing, that might be frightening to sensitive children or children who have had negative experiences with dogs.)
"Today, he's going to show me the new houses he's working on.
Papi is careful with my ponytail as he pulls my helmet tight.
When he lifts me onto the smooth black seat his hands don't feel rough, they don't feel tired --they feel like all the love he has trouble saying."
The illustrations are vibrant and full of details and really bring the city of Corona, California to life.
Highly recommend! (Note: there is one illustration of some dogs barking over a fence, wide open mouths and teeth showing, that might be frightening to sensitive children or children who have had negative experiences with dogs.)
September 8, 2019
Isabel Quintero and Zeke Peña's "My Papi has a Motorcycle," is a picture book about Daisy's relationship with her father. Everyday, Daisy's father comes home from his construction job, she runs outside with their helmets, and he takes her for a ride on his motorcycle. On their ride, readers learn about Daisy's neighborhood, languages (Spanish and English), family, friends, and her love for her dad.
I loved this book as soon as I saw the cover - as a kid, my favorite days were spent on my dad's motorcycle. Daisy and her father remind me of me and my own father; me being excited about everything and my dad doing labor work all day. This book shows readers what it is like to live in a neighborhood like Daisy's (based on Corona, California) and does it in a way that can only be seen as a child.
I would pair this with books or units about family, especially families who speak more than one language at home.
"When he lifts me onto the smooth black seat his hands don't feel rough, they don't feel tired - they feel like all the love he has trouble saying."
This is a great book to show how to draw or write about neighborhoods, including people, places, and activities. This is also a great example of how to use more than one language in a book, while making it accessible to all readers. There is also a Spanish version of this book available, which would be a great resource in classrooms.
I loved this book as soon as I saw the cover - as a kid, my favorite days were spent on my dad's motorcycle. Daisy and her father remind me of me and my own father; me being excited about everything and my dad doing labor work all day. This book shows readers what it is like to live in a neighborhood like Daisy's (based on Corona, California) and does it in a way that can only be seen as a child.
I would pair this with books or units about family, especially families who speak more than one language at home.
"When he lifts me onto the smooth black seat his hands don't feel rough, they don't feel tired - they feel like all the love he has trouble saying."
This is a great book to show how to draw or write about neighborhoods, including people, places, and activities. This is also a great example of how to use more than one language in a book, while making it accessible to all readers. There is also a Spanish version of this book available, which would be a great resource in classrooms.
August 29, 2019
I have been dying to read My Papi Has a Motorcycle since I first heard about it (especially since I enjoyed Quintero and Pena's graphic biography Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide), and it was definitely worth the wait. The words and the pictures are both beautiful and work together so well. The language isn't poetry but is intensely poetic, and we get to experience day-to-day life, change in the world around us, and connection with home as a part of one story. It tugged at heartstrings and made me smile, plus it was very, very pretty. The touch of history was very much welcome.
Definitely recommended!
Definitely recommended!
May 22, 2019
Family, community, holding onto those precious small moments that make up our sorta big lives. I grew up so excited to be on the back of my dad’s motorcycle, too.. the description of how it feels was so relevant to me! And he similarly showed me the layers and beauty of our home (also a gentrifying neighborhood like in this book), and what mattered.. and who mattered. This one struck a chord. Loved it.
April 28, 2021
Growing up on the border in El Paso, this book resonated with me. The Hispanic culture surrounded us and the beautiful Spanish language was everywhere. When we moved there, I was in middle school and learned all the curse words first, thanks to my new friends.
Similar to Hispanic neighborhoods in other states, we enjoyed raspados, elotes, and watched as locally owned shops closed down.
This book is an incredible pairing of author/ illustrator talents!
Similar to Hispanic neighborhoods in other states, we enjoyed raspados, elotes, and watched as locally owned shops closed down.
This book is an incredible pairing of author/ illustrator talents!
February 20, 2020
It's safe to say I picked this up because like the character, my dad also has a motorcycle. But unlike her my dad didn't stick around and put in the hard work to raise me. I think too often we neglect to praise those men who do so I loved it this book for all the things it allowed me to experience that my own childhood was lacking....
April 26, 2020
The author takes a sentimental, nostalgic wallow into her girlhood, remembering/fantasizing a ride around her hometown of Corona, California, on the back of her father's motorcycle. Too dull for me.
August 6, 2019
Time spent with dad is a treasure and My Papi Has a Motorcycle made this evident in both word and picture. From the excited anticipation of a little girl as her dad's truck pulls into the yard, to their embrace, and the thrill of cruising through the neighborhood on the back of his bike together; their bond is everything. Daisy and her papi take in the sights and sounds of a community that is filled with heart, pride, and history, and even though things around them are changing, their neighborhood and the people in it will always feel like home.
There were just so many heartwarming lines that highlighted the depth of the love relationship between a father and daughter. Words that made me think about my own father and how hard he still works for his family. Two of my favorite passages were:
1. "My papi, the carpenter, is covered in sawdust and smells like a hard day at work. His hands are rough from building homes every day - his job since he first arrived in this country. But even though he comes home tired he always has time for me."
2. "When he lifts me onto the smooth back seat his hands don't feel rough, they don't feel tired - they feel like all the love he has trouble saying."
One other thing that stood out for me was the history that was infused into the story through the mural as imagined by Zeke Peña. It was intended to depict the work of the ancestors on the citrus groves in Corona, and also pays respect to the road race that took place in 1913 on what is now Grand Boulevard. Zeke Peña brings each detail to life throughout, with a palette of warm colors that just add to this book's charm.
This is definitely a book that I will be adding to my K-5 library.
There were just so many heartwarming lines that highlighted the depth of the love relationship between a father and daughter. Words that made me think about my own father and how hard he still works for his family. Two of my favorite passages were:
1. "My papi, the carpenter, is covered in sawdust and smells like a hard day at work. His hands are rough from building homes every day - his job since he first arrived in this country. But even though he comes home tired he always has time for me."
2. "When he lifts me onto the smooth back seat his hands don't feel rough, they don't feel tired - they feel like all the love he has trouble saying."
One other thing that stood out for me was the history that was infused into the story through the mural as imagined by Zeke Peña. It was intended to depict the work of the ancestors on the citrus groves in Corona, and also pays respect to the road race that took place in 1913 on what is now Grand Boulevard. Zeke Peña brings each detail to life throughout, with a palette of warm colors that just add to this book's charm.
This is definitely a book that I will be adding to my K-5 library.
June 8, 2019
Daisy loves to ride with her father on his motorcycle. After he finishes his work in construction, he always has time for an evening ride with her. They ride like a comet on the hot asphalt, zigzagging through the streets. Together they rumble through their Southern California town and visit all of the sites that Daisy loves. There is Joy’s Market where they see their librarian shopping. Murals on the walls tell the story of their history as Mexican-Americans. They plan to stop for a sweet treat, but the store has closed. They pass her grandparent’s home with happy waves and a plan to visit tomorrow. Their ride ends with a visit to her father’s workplace and then a curving race around Grand Boulevard. They return home to find that the owner of the closed shop has is running a food cart instead.
Quintero’s text is lush and beautiful. It’s remarkable for a picture book to use language the way that she does, yet she manages it without leaving small children behind. It is particularly evident in the places where Daisy’s imagination soars. As Daisy pictures them as a comet flying, Quintero’s prose flies alongside her imagination lifting it with colors, and sentences like “We become a spectacular celestial thing soaring on asphalt.” What more could a reader want?
The illustrations are a true celebration of the community Daisy and her Papi right through. The murals are shown in bright colors, the city itself bathed in the heat and sunshine of a summer day. Perspectives are done playfully at times with chasing dogs and narrow streets.
A summer treat of a book, this one is worth the ride. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Quintero’s text is lush and beautiful. It’s remarkable for a picture book to use language the way that she does, yet she manages it without leaving small children behind. It is particularly evident in the places where Daisy’s imagination soars. As Daisy pictures them as a comet flying, Quintero’s prose flies alongside her imagination lifting it with colors, and sentences like “We become a spectacular celestial thing soaring on asphalt.” What more could a reader want?
The illustrations are a true celebration of the community Daisy and her Papi right through. The murals are shown in bright colors, the city itself bathed in the heat and sunshine of a summer day. Perspectives are done playfully at times with chasing dogs and narrow streets.
A summer treat of a book, this one is worth the ride. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
December 31, 2019
Reviewed from an f&g. There are a few minor changes in the illustrations on the finished book.
The perfect window to peek into a ritual between a Latino father and his daughter.
Daisy has been patiently waiting for her father to return home from his job in construction. She knows they will hop on his motorcycle for a ride on a big loop of their town -- by her abuela's church and the tortilleria, by the market and murals in town, by her abuela's house and the dogs behind the fences, by the construction site, around the circle, and then home for a sweet treat.
An author's note lets readers know what is fact included in both the story and the illustrations.
This book offers great peeks into the daily life of Latino culture. It is the daughter waiting to ride the motorcycle, rather than the son. The father is very invested in and hands-on with his children. Quintero's text is very descriptive, yet also spare.
Illustrations by Zeke Pena were created wiht a Wacom Cintiq 13HD with a mix of and-painted watercolor texture. He does an outstanding job of changing point of view and perspective, keeping the story moving forward page after page. They are joyful and filled with detail, making readers feel as if they are also riding on the back of that motorcycle.
Pair this with Patrica MacLachlan's All the Places to Love (HarperCollins, c1994) to compare favorite places of the two girls from different cultures.
Highly Recommended for readers, grades PreK-5.
The perfect window to peek into a ritual between a Latino father and his daughter.
Daisy has been patiently waiting for her father to return home from his job in construction. She knows they will hop on his motorcycle for a ride on a big loop of their town -- by her abuela's church and the tortilleria, by the market and murals in town, by her abuela's house and the dogs behind the fences, by the construction site, around the circle, and then home for a sweet treat.
An author's note lets readers know what is fact included in both the story and the illustrations.
This book offers great peeks into the daily life of Latino culture. It is the daughter waiting to ride the motorcycle, rather than the son. The father is very invested in and hands-on with his children. Quintero's text is very descriptive, yet also spare.
Illustrations by Zeke Pena were created wiht a Wacom Cintiq 13HD with a mix of and-painted watercolor texture. He does an outstanding job of changing point of view and perspective, keeping the story moving forward page after page. They are joyful and filled with detail, making readers feel as if they are also riding on the back of that motorcycle.
Pair this with Patrica MacLachlan's All the Places to Love (HarperCollins, c1994) to compare favorite places of the two girls from different cultures.
Highly Recommended for readers, grades PreK-5.
March 3, 2021
I can see why this book won the Pura Belpre Award in 2020 and other awards as well. It captures emotion and a little bit of history in the description of home. To the author, just like most of us, home is her family and her town. There's also whimsical descriptive language that kids could spend time analyzing. They could study why the author chose to focus on the pages she did with loftier language and other ones where she just describes the action. Kids could see the emotion coming through on the pages with more figurative language. This book could also be a study on appreciating the subtle changes in the author's town versus the constants we all crave. It's the type of book that could be simply read to primary students and they would feel the strength in the characters, but also the type of book intermediate readers could analyze for the above reasons. Great book and it made me miss home.
December 17, 2020
WOW! This book blew me away. The illustrations complimented the text so perfectly, it was hard to believe they were done by two different people. I loved the feeling of home, of ownership of one's neighborhood and city and all the history that comes with it, and the love of family, no matter how unique your situation may be. The illustrations showed such great movement and passion - much like a graphic novel. The text was consistent throughout the story. I see why this is on all of the award winner prediction lists!
August 6, 2020
I read tons of picture books with my four year old, but I rarely am interested enough in them that I would take the time to record them onto my Goodreads. But this book is an exception for sure. The story is enchanting, for both the preschooler and for me. A story of ever-changing landscapes and the immigration and movements of people, but also just a cute story of love and security that a little girl finds in her family and neighborhood.
June 30, 2019
This warm, sweet family story celebrates a father-daughter daily outing on his motorcycle, driving around their California town. The watercolor cartoons are presented on several double-page spreads, with some in smaller panels. They depict a father and daughter having a joyous time on their ride, passing all the places in town that they love.
October 31, 2019
The life and times of a young girl in Corona California riding in the back of her Papi’s motorcycle as they ride through town. She introduces members of the community and their lives. A very nice picture book about Latino life in America.
June 18, 2021
This made me miss my Daddy so hard! Beautiful, relatable, and amazing history lesson all rolled into one.
October 5, 2019
A fun tour of an urban Hispanic neighborhood, as seen from the back of Papi's motorcycle.
November 2, 2019
Joins the list of amazing picture books that travel around a town, like Last Stop on Market Street and All the Way to Havana. Could easily be a wordless story. Great sense of motion and movement.
January 27, 2020
2020 Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor
NPR Book Concierge
NPR Book Concierge
October 8, 2021
My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero and illustrated by Zeke Peña is a Pura Belpré Honors award book, though this book has been well received and has won many other awards and accolades. I have heard about this book in previous literacy classes and have had it on my "to read" list for a few years now. I went looking around at Barnes and Noble and happened to pass by the Hispanic Heritage/diverse books section of the store and was immediately drawn to this book and knew I had to read it. The story is about a girl named Daisy and her relationship with her father. Her age is not explicitly mentioned in the story, but appears to be around the age of 8, which makes sense considering this book is recommended for children ages 4-8. Everyday when he comes home from work, Daisy and her father take a trip around their town on his motorcycle. As she rides around town, she notices that so many things are changing, but the bond between Daisy and her father is one thing that she knows will always stay the same.
This book is relatable to so many children, even if their father doesn't ride a motorcycle or they don't look like the characters in the book. This book is about something that most children can relate to, which is spending time with their family/loved ones. This book also features racially and ethnically diverse characters, though most of the characters are Hispanic or at least speak Spanish, but doesn't include them in a way that stereotypes them. The author seamlessly weaves Spanish words into the book in a way that doesn't feel forced, and also does a good job of not providing explanations or translations for all of the Spanish words in the book. For example, on page 1, the author writes "From him I've learned words like carburetor, and cariño, drill, and dedication.” There are a few instances where the author does translate the words that are said in Spanish, typically only when the characters are actually speaking and their words are shown in a speech bubble. For example, on page 5, Daisy's mom tells them "Con cuidado" and then in the same speech bubble, the author writes the English translation "Be careful". This is a somewhat unnatural way of communicating and may seem confusing for children reading this book that are bilingual. These portions of the book seem geared more towards monolingual speakers.
Aside from this, there are so many positive characteristics about this book. The illustrations are beautiful. They are bright, vivid, detailed, and really make you feel like you are right in the story with Daisy and her father, driving around on the motorcycle with them. There are many representations of Hispanic culture throughout the illustrations and the text of the book, such as a tortilleria and a raspasado shop. I was immediately drawn to the book because of how detailed and crisp the pictures are. Throughout the book, you can just feel the love that Daisy and her father have for each other, through the author's words and the illustrations. The author's vocabulary is rich, varied, and really keeps the story interesting. I especially liked the use of a lot of onomatopoeia of the noises throughout the town as they are riding around, such as "Vroom" when they begin to speed up, and "Honk, Honk" when Daisy and her family see the raspado cart pulling up on their street. I enjoyed the fact that it was about a family whose culture, and ethnicity is typically underrepresented in literature, but that students of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds could relate to the characters and the feelings that the story provokes of unconditional love and happiness.
I just keep thinking about how this book could be extremely useful during a social studies unit on families. In my classroom, we do a week/two-week long unit on families and explore the different kinds of families and read books about different kinds of families. Students also explore information about their own families and conduct research on family traditions and cultures. This book would be a good introduction to this unit. This book could also be used to introduce onomatopoeia as a literary element and a mentor text to help students add these kinds of elements into their writing. I'm not quite sure how I would use this book in my classroom at the moment, other than for enjoyment, and exposing my students to a variety of different cultures and celebrating Hispanic culture specifically, but I definitely plan to use this book in my classroom at some point in the future.
This book is relatable to so many children, even if their father doesn't ride a motorcycle or they don't look like the characters in the book. This book is about something that most children can relate to, which is spending time with their family/loved ones. This book also features racially and ethnically diverse characters, though most of the characters are Hispanic or at least speak Spanish, but doesn't include them in a way that stereotypes them. The author seamlessly weaves Spanish words into the book in a way that doesn't feel forced, and also does a good job of not providing explanations or translations for all of the Spanish words in the book. For example, on page 1, the author writes "From him I've learned words like carburetor, and cariño, drill, and dedication.” There are a few instances where the author does translate the words that are said in Spanish, typically only when the characters are actually speaking and their words are shown in a speech bubble. For example, on page 5, Daisy's mom tells them "Con cuidado" and then in the same speech bubble, the author writes the English translation "Be careful". This is a somewhat unnatural way of communicating and may seem confusing for children reading this book that are bilingual. These portions of the book seem geared more towards monolingual speakers.
Aside from this, there are so many positive characteristics about this book. The illustrations are beautiful. They are bright, vivid, detailed, and really make you feel like you are right in the story with Daisy and her father, driving around on the motorcycle with them. There are many representations of Hispanic culture throughout the illustrations and the text of the book, such as a tortilleria and a raspasado shop. I was immediately drawn to the book because of how detailed and crisp the pictures are. Throughout the book, you can just feel the love that Daisy and her father have for each other, through the author's words and the illustrations. The author's vocabulary is rich, varied, and really keeps the story interesting. I especially liked the use of a lot of onomatopoeia of the noises throughout the town as they are riding around, such as "Vroom" when they begin to speed up, and "Honk, Honk" when Daisy and her family see the raspado cart pulling up on their street. I enjoyed the fact that it was about a family whose culture, and ethnicity is typically underrepresented in literature, but that students of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds could relate to the characters and the feelings that the story provokes of unconditional love and happiness.
I just keep thinking about how this book could be extremely useful during a social studies unit on families. In my classroom, we do a week/two-week long unit on families and explore the different kinds of families and read books about different kinds of families. Students also explore information about their own families and conduct research on family traditions and cultures. This book would be a good introduction to this unit. This book could also be used to introduce onomatopoeia as a literary element and a mentor text to help students add these kinds of elements into their writing. I'm not quite sure how I would use this book in my classroom at the moment, other than for enjoyment, and exposing my students to a variety of different cultures and celebrating Hispanic culture specifically, but I definitely plan to use this book in my classroom at some point in the future.
March 9, 2022
Absolutely loved this book! I'm currently translating Spanish language children's book with an app on my phone in order to practice the language. This story really made me say "awwww" and bring my hand to my heart so many times. It shows a really beautiful relationship between a dad and his daughter. It also emphasizes the neighborhood that they live in, Corona California. Highly recommend!
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