Mama Had to Work on Christmas

By Carolyn Marsden

Gloria always spends Christmas with Papi, Mama, and Nana. But this Christmas, Papi is away picking oranges and Mama has to work at the hotel where she is a maid. Gloria is miserable when Mama makes her go with her-until they get to the hotel with its lavish decorations and food piled high on the tables. What a magical place to spend Christmas! But then Mama explains that these lovely things are only for the guests: Gloria is to stay in the kitchen where nobody will see her. From her hiding spot, Gloria watches as a girl her age eats a fancy meal with her family. How can one girl have so much while another has so little? How Gloria moves from disappointment to understanding makes for a beautiful story that honors the true spirit of the Christmas season. Illustrations by Robert Casilla.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670036358
• ISBN13: 9780670036356
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 73 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

A Heartwarming Christmas Story of Two Cultures

Carolyn Marsden gets into the skin of her protagonist, Gloria, when on Christmas she must tag along with her mother to her job at the hotel where a sumptuous feast is arrayed in the hotel dining room while Gloria observes the contrast of preparation for others in the kitchen. When she accidentally interacts with a child of one of the guests in the dining room, they find they giggle at the same things until cut short by the girl's parent. Gloria relays to her doll her frustration and sadness that her family's Christmas must be delayed. But finally arriving at her grandmother's and discovering a special gift her Papi, also working on Christmas, had planned for her, Gloria savors their Feliz Navidad at last.