When a little girl finds her mother’s Resident Alien card in her purse, she is certain she has stumbled on a big secret—her mother is from another planet! Her mother has always seemed like a normal person, but does she speak another language besides Spanish and English? Do other aliens from her planet land their spaceship in her backyard when they come for a visit? Most of all, how does Mamá hide her alien appearance? When the daughter sees her mother wearing night cream and curlers in her hair, she’s certain she’s come upon the true alien Mamá. But her parents calmly explain that “alien” is one of those words with more than one meaning—it can mean someone from another country or from another planet. Whimsically illustrated, this funny story based on a child’s misunderstanding is told in Spanish and English. (Ages 4–7)

Bilingual English/Spanish. In this lighthearted bilingual immigration story, a young girl sees the word alien on her mother's Resident Alien card and concludes that her mother is from another planet--until the girl finds out that the word has more than one meaning.

When Mamá's purse falls on the floor, Sofia gets a peek at Mamá's old Resident Alien card and comes to the conclusion that Mamá might be an alien from outer space. Sofia heads to the library to learn more about aliens. Some are small and some are tall. Some have four fingers on each hand and some have large, round eyes. Their skin can be gray or blue or green. But Mamá looks like a human mother! Could she really be an alien?

Sofia is still puzzling out this mystery when she sees an alien-looking Mamá one night. It turns out Mamá is doing a beauty treatment so she will look her best for her citizenship ceremony. That's when Sofia realizes that in English, an alien can be someone from another planet, and it can also be a person from another country. Just like Mamá!

Filled with imagination and humor, this title is a sweet and timely celebration of family, no matter where that family comes from. Even if it's outer space!