Where Are You From?

A girl with brown skin and dark curly pigtails encounters variations on the title question over and over. "Is your mom from here?" asks her ballet teacher. "Is your dad from there?" asks a friend's mother. From her Abuelo, the girl learns she comes from the Pampas region of Argentina, and that she descends from "the gaucho, brave and strong" and those who were once "in chains because of the color of their skin." As text by Méndez (Blizzard Besties) transports the duo, Kim (La La La) places them at the center of a series of expansive digitized-watercolor spreads that celebrate various natural wonders and history (with no afterword, however--readers are on their own to decode the historic and geographic references, such as the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, an Argentine human rights organization). Although the book begins as a gentle riposte to narrow cultural and ethnic categorizations, its conclusion reaches out to all readers, evoking both heritage and the human family: pointing to his heart, Abuelo says, "You're from here, from my love and the love of all those before us.... You are from all of us." Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Linda Camacho, Gallt and Zacker Literary. Illustrator's agent: Claire Easton, Painted Words. (June)

PreS-Gr 2-In a world full of microaggressions, Argentine-American author Méndez and South Korean-American illustrator Kim team up to offer an affirming answer for a young brown-skinned girl constantly being asked "Where are you from?" After her reply, "I'm from here, from today, same as everyone else," is contested with a "No, where are you really from?," she takes her internalized confusion to her abuelo, because "he knows everything, and like me, he looks like he doesn't belong." He tells her that she comes from the pampas, the gaucho, mountains, blue oceans, hurricanes, and dark storms. He doesn't shy away from hard truths and tells her that she comes from "this land where our ancestors built a home for all, even when they were in chains because of the color of their skin." Each answer takes them into sweeping double-page landscapes of watercolor and ink that add enough context to understand new vocabulary and texture to fill each space. But when she insists where am I really from, he points to his heart and says, "from my love and the love of all of those before us." A great read-aloud with simple yet evocative language, this picture book will validate many young children's experience, and for others will lend itself well to starting conversations around race and racial aggressions. VERDICT A much-needed title that is a first purchase for libraries and classrooms.--Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, OR