Me Gusta

by Angela Dominguez

A stunning bilingual picture book that celebrates Latinx families by highlighting moments of connection and delight and feelings of safety and home, even through challenges and difficult times.

Me gusta your smile, tu sonrisa,
and your hugs, tus abrazos.

Me gusta when we explore this spectacular world, el mundo,
and gaze at all the stars, las estrellas.

But most of all, me gusta that no matter where we are, I feel at home, en casa, when I’m with you.

In the affirmative and encouraging Me Gusta, acclaimed author and illustrator Angela Dominguez combines Spanish and English in a poetic and touching story of family, reminding us that through the adventures and the heartbreak, love conquers all and transcends language.

Genres: Picture Books, Spanish Literature, Storytime, Latinx, Family, Fiction, Childrens

36 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 6, 2022

About the author

Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City and grew up in the great state of Texas. She now resides on the east coast with her boyfriend, Kyle, and their petite dog, Petunia.

She is also the author and illustrator of several books for children and a two-time recipient of Pura Belpré Illustration Honor. Her debut middle grade novel, Stella Díaz Has Something To Say, was a New York Public Library and a Chicago Public Library pick for Best Books for Kids, Sid Fleischman Award winner, and an ALA Notable. She recently illustrated Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s newest picture book, Just Help! How to Build a Better World. When Angela is not in her studio or visiting schools, she teaches at the Academy of Art University, which honored her with their Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013.

Angela is a proud member of SCBWI, PEN America, and represented by Wernick and Pratt Literary Agency. As a child, she loved reading books and making a mess creating pictures. She’s delighted to still be doing both.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book that looks at what binds us to family and community. The simple acts that we like every day, and how we grow when those acts bring us closer together. This would be a great book to read with a small child; ask them what they like as you point out all the support that is around them.

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the concept of this book is important and the illustrations and cover are both really nice. I also liked I Love You, Baby Burrito, which is by the same author.

I just struggled with the execution. It feels like a book about family and love—fun, food, traditions, making memories, telling stories. Then you turn a page and it’s like, “You know what I don’t care for, though? Bigotry.” It feels very much like that “knock it off” Cody Ko song, if anyone knows what I’m talking about.

I considered that maybe this was the point—that xenophobia and racist crop up suddenly, sometimes robbing us of joy in ordinary or even celebratory moments. I just think that it’s introduced in a way that feels jarring in terms of the writing itself, not the underlying message. I expected and wanted to love this, but I think it could have gotten the same points across in a way that felt more impactful. Hopefully it lands with others more than it did me.

[LC · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone previously mentioned perfect for a read along. Illustrations kind of missed the mark regarding showcasing various skin tones, not many darker skinned folks in the book.

[Lovee · Rating 5 out of 5]

•The key themes to this book are self-discovery, embracing individuality, cultural identity, and heritage. The book is a bilingual picture book that radiates with warmth, joy, and a profound celebration of Latinx families.
•Audience: 2-8 years old
•I chose this book because of its enchanting illustrations and heartfelt storytelling. The book beautifully captures the essence of the strong bonds that tie families together, even amidst challenges and difficult times.
•I will use this book in my classroom to promote self-expression, cultural awareness, and introduce students to a basic Spanish vocabulary. Very cute book (:

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Add me on BookTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@blissandbooks

Book provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

In the whimsical book Me Gusta, author Angela Dominguez celebrates multi-ethnic Latin and Hispanic communities.  Utilizing both English and Spanish words, Me Gusta is a great beginner book for those who want to get their children familiar with Spanish words.  Read on for a review of Me Gusta by Angela Dominguez.

The book narrates the specific things that many find enjoyable in Latin culture.  Whether it’s helado (ice cream), traditions (traditions) sweet illustrations pair with simple sentences.  It also includes things that aren’t liked in the community like nuestra pier hermosa (our beautiful skin) and las palabras malas (mean words) that include 'go home' and 'not welcome'.

It’s important to understand that Latin communities come in all shades of brown.  Me Gusta depicts this, pairing character illustrations that have both light brown and darker brown skin tones. Me Gusta affirms that beautiful aspects of the Latin culture like the love of community and the idea that working together is the best way to reach goals.  

Utilizing both English and Spanish words, Me Gusta is a great beginner book for those who want to get their children familiar with Spanish words.  Read on for a review of Me Gusta by Angela Dominguez.

[Nicole Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this book's main focus is the love of children. I think it makes it more impactful when prejudice is mentioned and also when friends and families find ways to fight racism. This is a wonderful book about resilience against prejudice and at the moment there are not a lot of children's books about Latinx racism, especially in Spanish. This is a great book for any family to have in their anti-racist library and even just to talk about the impacts on mean words in school or play.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good intro bilingual book. It goes through many typical things that someone would like but also does an excellent job of delving into some critical issues that are being more and more discussed in children's picture books like prejudices and racism, which I think is very important for young people to be aware of so that they don't grow into being bigots. This book is mostly about positive things and can be used as a great learning tool for both English and Spanish. My rating - 3/5

[Jocelyn Boop]

Why I chose this book:
I chose this book because it describes the importance of family and community.

What I liked about the book:
I liked the book because it’s written in English but includes Spanish translations for some of the key words and ideas.

How I would use this book in a future classroom:
I would use this book during a unit about communities and what makes the people who make them special.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and a lovely story. The "bilingual" parts felt tacked on, though, generally just a repetition of the last major vocabulary word in the previous English sentence. But it deals wonderfully with prejudice and skin color head on, while also celebrating the warmth and coziness of loving families.

[Paulette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really cute! Me quede leyéndolo más en español mas que en inglés, pero me gusto (lol) que había los dos lenguas juntos para leer. The art was lovely and encompassing of all the different shades we Latines are, and I especially enjoyed that it didn’t shy away from the many forms of racism that happens to us. Anyway, I can’t wait to read it to my babies!

[Melissa the Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Angela Dominguez, and I liked this book for the most part. It does take a darker turn in the middle toward prejudice and other tough issues, which I wasn't expecting. Definitely not a bad thing to be covered in a children's book, I just didn't see it coming from the way the book was presented, and maybe that's the point.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/9/2023 ~ A bilingual affirmation of families, traditions, and languages. The short phrases on each page alternate between English and Spanish, though not in a typical bilingual way (where the entire text is written separately in both languages.) The book describes things we like and things we don't like.

[Francis Tg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Amo los libros bilingües. Siempre estoy en busca de libros en español para poder enseñarle a mi hijo el uso correcto del lenguaje.
Este es un libro “pocho” mezcla los dos idiomas. “Spanglish”
Me encantaría que hubiese tenido el escrito todo en inglés y al mismo tiempo todo en español.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, a bilingual picture book about things the narrator loves and does not love (mean words, prejudice). If you like bilingual stories or are looking for one that could teach a handful of Spanish words or phrases, this is it.

[Madison LibraryBookFamily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me Gusta is a story of the things we love and don't love in the world. It has Spanish words sprinkled into the story in an organic way. The art work is gorgeous and the people represented are diverse.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bilingual book in which the young narrator names aspects of their environment they do and do not like.

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply beautiful

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is perfect for a bilingual read a loud.

[Lupe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! It is bilingual - more like Spanglish - and it addresses many different types of Latino/Hispanic families. I plan to purchase it for my school collection.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

a simple Spanish English books about things kids like. Toddler and up

[Colorado Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bilingual likes and dislikes. Great book.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet little story.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

CathyR

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for Spanish and English learning about family

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Enough of the bringing the hate speech into books. Let's make books where we get along, where kids are seeing that we all get along. I literally don't personally know anyone who is racist.

[Jessica Montano · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this book for our family. It’s a book mostly written in English with some Spanish words that were easy for my 4 year old English speaking son to understand and learn through the story

[kate. · Rating 4 out of 5]

super super simple

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Themes: culture, Spanish, kindness
Ages: preK-1st grade
Pub year: 2022

[Steph]

Turn/Level: 2/2

Hispanic Heritage, Latinx Author

A sweet parent-child bilingual talk about what they like and dislike. Rather brief and fast-paced. A good secondary story.