Abuelo, the Sea, and Me
By (Author) Isme Williams
Illustrated by Tatiana Gardel
Roaring Brook Press
Roaring Brook Press
27th August 2024
2nd July 2024
United States
Children
Fiction
Childrens / Teenage general interest: Places and peoples
Childrens / Teenage: Social issues / topics
Childrens / Teenage personal and social topics: Families and family members
813.6
Hardback
40
Width 279mm, Height 229mm
300g
When this grandchild visits her abuelo, he takes her to the ocean. In the summer, they kick off their shoes and let the cool waves tickle their toes. In the winter, they stand on the cliff and let the spray of the sea prick their nose 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. Abuelo, the Sea, and Me is a tender, heartwarming picture book that vividly explores intergenerational connections, family history, and the immigrant experience.
"This confidently told story, made up of brief moments between Abuelo and the grandchild, gets deeper as it goes on, with richly textured digital illustrations highlighting the changing light and weather as summer, fall, winter, and spring each take their turn... A deftly told immigrant's story of bittersweet memories and a grandparent's love." -Kirkus
"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... [accompanied by] sensory-rich descriptions... [and] delicate digital art [that] has the feel of watercolors on textured paper." -Publishers Weekly
Isme Williams is the author of Water in May and This Train Is Being Held. Isme also coedited the YA anthology, Boundless: Twenty Voices Celebrating Multicultural and Multiracial Identities. Isme is a cofounder of the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival, as well as a pediatric cardiologist in New York City. ismeewilliams.com Tatiana Gardel is a Brazilian-born illustrator whose work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators in New York and American Illustration. 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. tatianagardel.com