Abuelo, the Sea, and Me
by Ismée Williams (Author) Tatiana Gardel (Illustrator)
Abuelo, the Sea, and Me is a tender, heartwarming picture book that vividly explores intergenerational connections, family history, and the immigrant experience.
When this grandchild visits her abuelo, he takes her to the ocean. In summer, they kick off their shoes and let the cool waves tickle their toes. In winter, they stand on the cliff and let the sea spray prick their noses and cheeks. No matter the season, hot or cold, their favorite place to spend time together is the beach.
It’s here that Abuelo is able to open up about his youth in Havana, Cuba. As they walk along the sand, he recalls the tastes, sounds, and smells of his childhood. And with his words, Cuba comes alive for his grandchild.
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Publishers Weekly
Over the course of four seasons, a child and their abuelo connect during visits in this loving intergenerational book that looks both forward and back. The child's first-person narration offers sensory-rich descriptions of the pair's trips to the beach. In summer, "the hot sand burns until we slip into the cool water," and the child hears stories about Abuelo's youth in Havana. In autumn, "geese chase the vanishing sun south, toward the island Abuelo fled," and further seasons offer more about Abuelo's life as a medal-winning swimmer in Cuba. Abuelo's longing for home also reveals the speaker's growing emotional awareness. Gardel's delicate digital art has the feel of watercolors on textured paper; the pair's strong bond becomes focal in images of the two holding hands and echoing one another in posture or expression. In English and Spanish, Williams's narration portrays the power of place and memory in facilitating bonding. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Creator notes conclude. Ages 4-8. (May)
Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Review quotes
Ismée Williams is the award-winning author of the young adult novels Water in May and This Train Is Being Held, a Junior Library Guild Selection, the winner of an International Latino Book Award for Best Young Adult Romance, and a coeditor of the anthology Boundless: Twenty Voices Celebrating Multicultural and Multiracial Identities. Ismée is a cofounder of the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival, as well as a pediatric cardiologist in New York City, where she lives with her family. She is the daughter of a Cuban immigrant and grew up listening.
Tatiana Gardel is a Brazilian-born illustrator whose work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators in New York and by American Illustration. Her art is inspired by her culture, by her love for nature, and by mythology and childhood memories. She is a co -founder of #LatinxPitch and teaches animation to young artists at the Harlem School of the Arts. Tatiana Gardel lives in New York City with her family.JUV039250 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emigration & Immigration
JUV011030 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - Hispanic & Latino
Grandparent and child
Grandfathers
Cuban Americans
