“Grandma and I dance together, / sew together, / bake together / and go to the market together.” This engaging picture book depicts the loving relationship between a young girl and her grandmother and the girl’s growing realization that her grandmother will not always be physically present. Her beloved abuela “walks slower, sits longer and takes more medicine.”
Abuela comforts her granddaughter by using nature’s beauty, power and mystery to reassure her that life continues—and so does love. The child will feel her touch in the sun’s warmth and her kiss in each raindrop. When the wind lifts her hair, she will know her grandmother is there. The beauty of sunlit dragonflies and the smell of baked bread will be reminders of her love. “Feel my love in the power of waterfalls,” Grandma says. “Feel it in a moonlit darkness and in the sprout from a seed.” The love they share will surround her always.
With beautiful illustrations by Gastón Hauviller depicting a child enjoying activities with a special adult, this bilingual book about loss, healing and a unique bond will connect children to the idea that we come from and return to nature. Kids will eagerly recount—or even write about—their favorite memories of time spent with a beloved family member or friend.
Finalist, 2024 International Book Awards
“A sweet bilingual picture book sharing the love between a grandmother and granddaughter, including the possibility of a time when one might not be here any longer. Short and beautiful lyrical sentences describe the places where her love for her granddaughter will be: the sun, the shade, in drops of rain, in the darkness and the wind, and whenever she bakes—just as they would bake together. They both have brown skin. VERDICT: A solid addition to bilingual picture book collections, this is a great choice for those looking for stories about grandparents as well as for discussing loss.”—School Library Journal
“A young Latina girl and her grandmother connect over the homely pleasures of baking bread, sewing, and making trips to the outdoor market, although the old woman is showing signs of ailing. She gently prepares her granddaughter for her impending death by reassuring her of the indissolubility of their relationship—the places they visit, activities they enjoy together, and the natural world that connects them to something beyond themselves will all remind the girl of her grandmother’s tender, fortifying love long after the day she breathes her last. The book addresses the subjects of aging and illness in an age-appropriate manner. Both Hauviller’s textured illustrations and Camacho-Church’s bilingual English/Spanish text are imbued with the warmth of treasured memories of their own grandmothers.”—The Horn Book
“Children who have experienced the loss of a loved one may find comfort in reading this book. The author has written about a complex subject in a way that is delicate and comforting.”—Delaware psychiatrist Dr. Subani Maheshwari
“This is more than a bilingual book for children. It reaches to the core of our need to understand those we love… The tenderness and the compassion in this book acknowledges that love can be expressed and remains eternal.”—Robert Abel Jr., MD, author of Lumi’s Book of Eyes
ADRIANA CAMACHO-CHURCH was born in Colombia and grew up in Chicago and Los Angeles. She currently lives and works in Delaware. This is her first book.
GASTÓN HAUVILLER, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, has lived in many countries. He has worked as an illustrator and children’s book author for more than 20 years and his work has been recognized in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, the United States, France and China. His children’s books include Viajeros extraordinarios / Roque (Ediciones TTT, 2019) and ¿Un mundo? Muchos mundos (Editorial Océano Travesía, 2016).
