Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border by Mitali Perkins - ADVISABLE

Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border by Mitali Perkins, illustrated by Sara Palacios. PICTURE BOOK. Farrar Straus Giroux (Macmillan), 2019. $18. 9780374303730

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Two kids and their mom head to the border between the U.S and Mexico to visit their grandma during the festival La Posada Sin Fronteras. They are allowed to see her through a fence and visit for half an hour. They can not, however, pass along gifts. Desperate to get a drawing to their grandma, the kids fly the drawing as a kite and send it over the wall. 

This story is a great introduction to the complicated new stories that come out of the border debates. This book has the potential to teach empathy as well as provide some context for young readers in America. The illustrations are sweet and the family acts with respect to both the guards and the citizens. 

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher