A pair of picture books celebrates how love is expressed through continuity and change in the families of two young girls, one Anglo (Cherry Pies and Lullabies) and one Latina (Tortillas and Lullabies = Tortillas y cancioncitas). Four brief vignettes in each book describe the way distinct traditions and activities are carried out from generation to generation in the child narrators' families, beginning with each girl's great grandmother interacting with her child--the girl's grandmother--and ending with the child herself, who continues the tradition in play activities with a favorite toy. Cherry Pies and Lullabies is illustrated by Reiser in bright watercolors and black pen and filled with elements of Americana, most notably the quilts, all of which are variations of the American quilt pattern "Cherry Basket." "Corazones Valientes," a Costa Rican collective of six women artists, created the lush, richly colored acrylic artwork set in South America for Tortillas and Lullabies. An author's note in Cherry Pies explains that the book was written for the Reiser's niece, to show her how much has changed over time, but also to affirm what has stayed true even in the midst of such change. After talking about that book with a friend from El Salvador, Reiser conceived Tortillas and Lullabies, realizing that families around the world are finding new ways to do old things, while the expressions of love at the heart of their actions remains constant. (Ages 4-8)

In English and in Spanish, Lynn Reiser presents the Central American companion book to her Cherry Pies and Lullabies. Again, four generations of mothers and daughters participate in family traditions-this time within a Costa Rican culture in which they share such things as tortilla making and flower gathering. Extraordinary folk-art painting by "Corazones Valientes," an organization of women artists in Costa Rica, accompany this universal and unforgettable story of family love.