Good Sledding! A Sled for Gabo by Emma Otheguy

It's snowing!

Gabo wipes off the window and sees boys and girls from his new school pulling sleds up the hill and then coasting down, screaming. It looks like fun.

But Gabo has a shortfall in the snow gear department!

GABO DIDN'T HAVE A SLED.

He doesn't have warm wool socks, just cotton ones. He doesn't have snow boots, just sneakers. And his baby pom-pom hat is way too small this year.

"VAMOS A RESOLVER!" SAYS MAMI.

Mami solves the problems one at a time: Four pairs of socks are just as cozy as wool. Plastic bags over his sneakers keep the snow out as well as boots, and Mami's snow hat fits him perfectly when she rolls the brim up. Gabo is all set, except for the sled, that is.

Outside He meets his neighbor Mr. Ramos. He doesn't have a sled, but he invites Gabo in to meet his granddaughter. But Gabo is too shy.

Then Gabo meets his aunt and uncle. His aunt has something for him. She says it's a sled, but it looks like a plastic cafeteria tray to Gabo. He doesn't know what to say or do, until Mr. Ramos' granddaughter, Isa, and her big dog come running toward him.

"CAN I HAVE A TURN ON YOUR SLED?" ISA ASKED.

"I DON'T HAVE A SLED," GABO SAID SADLY."

"OF COURSE YOU DO!" SAID ISA.

She sits down on the tray and coasts to the bottom of the hill, shrieking all the way.

And then, so does Gabo, whooping all the way down, in Emma Otheguy's A Sled for Gabo (Atheneum Books, 2021). It's Gabo's first snow day, sliding downhill with his schoolmates and having his new friend over for dulce de leche as the sun slides down behind the snowy hill.

Ana Ramirez Gonzalez's bright and cheery illustrations and the author's sunny can-do approach look at all the possibilities to tell the story of a happy snowy day and promises many more such days with new friends and new places. Says School Library Journal, "Otheguy's unhurried, lyrical approach to the story's central problems are of a piece with the message that life is constantly presenting opportunities for happiness, if you know how to look for them."