Seaside Dream

First-time author Bates debuts with a story, inspired by her own family history, about relationships that stretch across many years and great distances. Relatives are arriving from "across the country and across town" to celebrate the 70th birthday of Cora's grandmother, who lives next door to Cora by the beach. However, one relative who is not making the trip is Grandma's sister, Aura; the sisters were separated many years earlier when Cora's grandmother left her home in the island nation of Cape Verde. A nighttime beach walk with her grandmother, followed by a dream sequence, gives Cora the inspiration to find the perfect gift for her grandmother. The close-knit nature of Cora's family shines through in Bates's prose, which is peppered with references to Cape Verdean cuisine and traditions. Davis's (The Jolly Mon) acrylic paintings are uneven; at times, Cora looks more like a tiny woman than a girl, and the characters can feel like they're pasted into the scenes. However, the beach setting is vibrant and lush, and the strength of Cora and her grandmother's relationship emanates from nearly every page. Ages 610. (Sept.) Copyright 2010 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.

K-Gr 2--Cora's grandmother's ocean-side house is well stocked with friends and family who've come to celebrate the woman's 70th birthday, but it is Cora who finds a way to make the event special. Later, as she and Grandma take a moonlight stroll along the coast, the girl learns of her grandmother's longing for her sister, Aura, who stayed behind on Cape Verde when the rest of the family immigrated to the United States. The sisters vowed to send mantenhas--messages--to one another but did not keep in touch. (The cell phone generation may find it difficult to understand why the women have not communicated.) That night Cora dreams of an elderly lady just like her grandmother who kisses a seashell and tosses it into the water. In the morning, she tells Grandma, "I think Aura sent you a mantenha in my dream last night." Grandma, who has been reluctant to travel back to the island, reconsiders a flight to Cape Verde if Cora will come along. Davis's realistic acrylic paintings are filled with warmth and the colors of the sea. The marvelous illustrations have vigor and the tidbits of Cape Verdean culture make this picture book valuable for multicultural representation.--Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.