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PICTURE BOOKS
Williams, Ismée

Abuelo, the Sea, and Me

40 pp. | Roaring Brook | May, 2024 | Trade ISBN 9781250848772 $19.99 | Ebook ISBN 9781250383051 $11.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tatiana Gardel. In this moving picture book, a child and grandfather spend time together near the ocean and through the four seasons. The child listens to stories of life near a different beach, in Havana, Cuba, where Abuelo grew up. Memories are all that Abuelo has from his beloved home country; when the grandchild asks to see swimming medals that he won there, he says, "I left them behind. I do not even have pictures." But the pair still enjoys the temperate beach outside Abuelo's new home, stopping for creamsicles instead of guayaba ice cream and experiencing snow and icy winter storms rather than hurricanes. Warm watercolor-esque digital illustrations guide readers through the oceanside seasons, blending in symbols of tropical island memories: marlins and dolphins in the clouds, palm trees in Abuelo's eyes. The child worries that Abuelo is sad when he thinks about Cuba, and though he is, he assures the child, "But I still have the ocean...Most importantly, I have you." A gentle text that offers a nuanced and relatable perspective on the bittersweetness of remembering a faraway home and that celebrates the relationship between grandparent and grandchild. Appended author and illustrator notes express heartfelt personal connections.
Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

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