A book that shows a Hispanic appearing grandmother and child being openly discriminated against by another person. It discusses how it makes the child feel and why someone may act in that way. The grandmother is a positive adult figure that guides the child through this situation, which is a valuable lesson during a time where discrimination and hate crimes are rising in America.

As a Latina and someone who also loves her grandma as much as that little girl in the story loves her grandma, I absolutely loved this book. It portrayed the racism perfectly that people like me, and others face, in a way that is also clear for the younger audience that this book is geared for. You can tell what's going, and why the little girl feels what she feels. You could also feel the emotion coming from the characters, and it pulls you into their story, making you to continue wanting to follow the characters, and see how it ends. The art was also beautiful, and heart-warming, matching the story perfectly.

This was a lovely book! I loved how the illustrations told such a deep story about family, connection and identity.

This is a really good book. The illustration is perfect, and it shows how sometimes the Latinx community struggles with. It was sad to see the granddaughter's fear. This book is a reminder that you are not alone. I will keep sharing this book with the Latino/a families I work with.

This is an incredible picture book that we should all have in our classroom and school libraries.

Five stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Such a great book! Read it to my 2 and 4-year-old nieces and they loved the images.

A very touching book that describes racism and the injustice that people of color face. When this young girl and their grandma ride the bus, they face challenges when the bus driver belittles them. They face prejudice and are bullied by the bus driver. The young girl is affected and doesn't want to leave her home because she is in fear.

I had different emotions run through me as I read it. It made me sad, mad, and hopeful at times. The author did such a great job writing this book and addressing many social issues that people of color face every day.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC book

What a beautifully written story about a young girl and her beloved Abuelita. Throughout the day they encounter a series of microagressions. It may be "hard" for people to read this to young children (because it makes them uncomfortable) but it is a necessary lesson for children of all ages to be exposed to.

I can't wait to read this in the classroom! A young girl and her beloved Abuelita experience racism and unkind treatment while running their daily errands and both work to process their feelings about it. What I think I loved best is that this didn't have the "easy" or "feel-good" narrative that sometimes gets used to make people less uncomfortable. While the characters show bravery and grace in dealing with how they are treated, they are also very human and this is treated as in everyday experience. They didn't loudly confront the racists, they didn't picket the store, no one on the bus slow-clapped for them, and the bus driver's heart didn't grow three sizes that day. Instead, they protected each other and dealt with it like one would if this was an inescapable part of their daily life. This makes it feel honest and relatable. This would make an excellent circle-time read for pre-K and elementary and could inspire some excellent conversations.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

This picture book is lovely, but I would definitely recommend it for a slightly older audience. This book follows a grandmother and her granddaughter as they go about their life. However, the grandmother faces some aggression from people that are different from her and the granddaughter needs to come to terms with emotions surrounding these interactions. A must have for a classroom library.

The story opens with so much warmth, a little girl spending time with her Abuelita (Spanish for Granny).

But when they venture out, it gets cold: people are not nice to Abuelita. When she speaks, people ignore her, don’t understand, or shout at her.

The girl is confused and go through a mix of emotions. She gets scared and never wants to go outside again.

Sadness.
Anger.

She will never be 100% ready, but she stands up and confronts her fears in her own way.

Racism. Microaggressions. My initial thought when the story finished was that I didn’t like it. But that’s not true. It’s a story that needs to be told. As a minority, this is our reality, being judged by the color of our skin, by our accents, by our just being.

That little girl was me, is me, could be my own little girls, will be my little girls.

But we are not going to let negativity define us. Stories like this could change the fate of many and I know it will because the world is good.

Thank you Annick Press for the opportunity to review this important story that weaves in family, society, challenges, and strength.

This book gave me a view of life experiences I have had the privilege of not living. I spent the book wanting so badly to change the situations the grandma and her granddaughter found themselves having to live with. Treating others poorly because of their differences is wrong. I thought when I started this book it was going to be a nice story with great illustrations. Instead this story turned out to be an eye opening story that filled me with so much emotion, and had great illustrations. I think reading it with children is important and would give the chance to begin or continue important discussions about inclusion.

"and it feels like it's just the two of us in the whole world."

beautifully written and illustrated, this story shows the love between a grandmother and granddaughter as they try to exist despite micro- and macro-aggressions. by showing readers how the main character and her grandmother deal with these instances in the moment as well as after (including depression, anger and action), this story can help start important conversations on racism and how these issues do not have neat and tidy endings.

I have mixed feelings on this one. Ultimately, it's a great story with a strong message behind it. There's illustrations of the aggressions (and micro-aggressions) that Latinx people face every day, and it also demonstrates the strength of will it takes to face that discrimination -- all through a child's perspective. That said, this is a wordy book, and the themes lend themselves to older audiences. Despite being a picture book, I would best recommend this to someone around 5 or 6, no younger. I'm giving it 5 stars because it /is/ a great story with a lot of meaning.

Thanks to Netgalley and Annick Press for the ARC of this!

This was absolutely gorgeous and very emotional. I was getting choked up reading it aloud to my 5 year old. I loved that the girl and her Abuelita had such a beautiful, loving relationship, I have a huge soft spot for Grandmas. I want to make sure my kids can see what racism looks like, and this is an accessible introduction. I recommend this for all picture book loving kids!

Abuelita and Me is heartbreaking but a necessary read. It captures the racism that BIPOC folks often face when living in predominantly white countries. This young girl and her Abuelita want to make traditional food, explore the city, visit the library, but these every day activities are negatively effect by bigotry. The little girl is traumatised after they are yelled at. She fears going outside. These images are a disturbing reflection of how children are made to feel by adults making inappropriate comments or actions. This book is an important read. I highly recommend to all ages.

A little girl and her grandmother (aka Abuelita) love each other and have a wonderful relationship.

When they go to town to buy groceries, the girl notices her grandmother is not treated well by some people, and a bus driver yells at them. Disturbed, she doesn't want to leave the house.

The girl thinks those people have forgotten or don't know she has the most wonderful Abuelita in the world. And if they took the time to listen--the way she does--her grandmother would be easy for them to understand as well.

This is a story about family members who work through confusion and sadness, and support each other. It has a positive message, but could be upsetting for some children.

I appreciate that this book addresses how it feels to be treated negatively by strangers. Many times, I have been treated poorly and even laughed at; considered to be an outsider. But after my hurt feelings, I realized that the problem was theirs, not mine. And I stopped looking for approval.

The important thing to remember is that those who mistreat people (whether because afraid, angry, or just indifferent), are living in a world of their own experiences. Not reality.

4/5 Stars

Note to publishers:
This story could have gone just a little farther, by showing the characters planning for good experiences instead of reacting to strangers.

#AbuelitaandMe #NetGalley

Abuelita and Me is a sweetly illustrated and perceptively written book for young readers (~4-7 years) by Dr. Leonarda Carranza. Due out 12th April 2022 from Annick Press, it's 32 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

This is a poignant little book. The first person account from the point of view of the young narrator shows her feelings, confusion, sadness, and reactions to racism in her daily existence as she goes about her life with her grandmother: to the store, on the bus, shopping, and just existing. It's also full of warmth and fun as she abuelita (grandmother) have fun painting their nails, drawing, splashing in puddles, and cooking together.

The art by Rafael Mayani is rendered simply but full of warmth and feeling. The drawings are dynamic and the artist has a knack of portraying emotional range: anger, confusion, sadness, disdain. The art is full of small details which invite readers to take a closer look.

Five stars. It's not always a comfortable book to read, but it is, I think, an important one. This would make a superlative choice for public, school, or classroom library acquisition, reading circle, for therapists and counselors, and for the home library. It will provide an opening for discussion and learning. It's distressing, but also empowering and uplifting.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This might be the cutest, most insightful and powerful children's story I have read. As a former substitute and teacher’s assistant, I’ve read a lot of children's books. This is a story of a little girl who begins to notice micro-aggressive behavior from people who interact with her grandmother. She must learn how to handle her emotions surrounding these experiences. This needs to be in every school and library!!

Also, the illustrations were so cute!!

Thank you NetGalley and Annick Press.

This is an incredible picture book. It’s not an easy, fun picture book but it’s beautifully written and illustrated and will make kids (and adults!) think about how people in our communities are treated. The happy, bright illustrations make the difficult story approachable for even very young readers. In a classroom, Abuelita and Me would be a great way to start a conversation about the racism that happens every day. It would also be a great way to have students practise inferencing since the author doesn’t explicitly state why Abuelita is treated the way that she is. This wonderful book belongs in every classroom, school, and home library. I was provided a digital Advanced Readers Copy by NetGalley, but will be buying a physical copy for my classroom as soon as it is released!

I received an electronic ARC from Annick Press Ltd. through NetGalley.
My heart ached as I read this book. The constant microaggressions this child and her grandmother face stir strong emotions in a reader. It will take some time to process as a family read aloud and may make some more aware of how life is for minorities. Readers see the two worlds for a young girl who lives with her grandmother. Inside their home, they are safe and can explore and play and be happy. Outside, they are invisible and ignored. The illustrations bring this to life along with the text.
A definite addition for families and libraries.