La nevera de Maddi

With humor and warmth, this children's picture book raises awareness about poverty and hunger. Best friends Sofia and Maddi live in the same neighborhood, go to the same school, and play in the same park, but while  Sofia's fridge at home is full of nutritious food, the fridge at Maddi's house is empty.  Sofia  learns that Maddi's family doesn't have enough money to fill their fridge and promises Maddi she'll keep this discovery a secret. But because  Sofia  wants to help her friend, she's faced with a difficult decision: to keep her promise or tell her parents about Maddi's empty fridge. Filled with colorful artwork, this storybook addresses issues of poverty with honesty and sensitivity while instilling important lessons in friendship, empathy, trust, and helping others. A call to action section, with six effective ways for children to help fight hunger and information on anti-hunger groups, is also included. Sofí a y Maddi viven en el mismo barrio, juegan en el mismo parque y van a la misma escuela. Pero mientras que la nevera de la casa de Sofí a está siempre llena, la de Maddi siempre está vací a, completamente vací a, con solo un cartó n de leche. — ¿ Por qué tu mamá no va al mercado? — pregunta Sofí a. — Porque no tenemos suficiente dinero. — ¿ Y qué pasa si les da hambre? — Tenemos un poco de pan — dijo Maddi— . Por favor, no se lo digas a nadie. Sofí a le promete a Maddi que no dirá nada, pero se propone ayudar a su mejor amiga. Esconde comida para llevarle a Maddi en su mochila, y pronto descubre que, aunque el pescado y los huevos son buenos para los niñ os, no lo son para las mochilas. Sin embargo, a pesar de las buenas intenciones y esfuerzos de Sofí a, la realidad es que la nevera de Maddi continú a vací a. Sofí a prometió no decir nada. ¿ Qué puede hacer entonces?  

Lois Brandt is a writing teacher who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon, West Africa. She lives in Issaquah, Washington. Teresa Mlawer was an entrepreneur, editor, translator, and writer who became one of the most recognized and respected people in the Hispanic publishing industry in the United States. She was president of Lectorum Publications, the oldest and largest distributor of Spanish language books in the US. As a well-known specialist in children’ s literature in Spanish, she worked with publishers, educators, and librarians to increase access to the best authentic literature for Hispanic children in the US. She translated over 500 children’ s books from English to Spanish. Vin Vogel is a Brazilian illustrator and designer who has illustrated more than 45 children's and young adult books in his native Portuguese and French. He lived in New York City for a number of years, and is now back home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.