This book makes me want to cry. As an immigrant, I can relate so much to the struggles faced by Abuelita and her granddaughter. I was deeply moved by the child's perception of people's reactions when they were out and about. I was mad at the bus driver. I honestly hope there are not drivers like that, I was lucky I never really encountered one like that.

I LOVED seeing Toronto in the illustrations.

I wish the people outside would change, though. However, the big change is the resilience and courage that grow in the child's heart. I love how abuelita is a gentle presence for her, always reassuring, strong despite the adversities.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley and Annick Press for the advanced reading copy.</em>

A beautifully illustrated and heartrending picture book about racism and prejudice from the perspective of a young child. Abuelita and Amorcito have fun together inside, but when they go outside strangers are unhelpful and rude to them for no reason. Abuelita always says, “don’t worry Amorcito (sweetheart). We didn’t do anything wrong.” This book does a wonderful job of explaining the the difficult emotions that come with being on the receiving end of racism. It can cause embarrassment, sadness, and even anger. And it is ok to feel that way. But Amorcito and Abuelita don’t need to stay embarrassed or sad or angry. They can be brave and show they belong!

This book was honest and heartbreaking. I do know often times in the real world we don’t get a resolution but i do feel like someone should’ve spoken up or said why what was happening was hateful or wrong so kids reading this can understand the problem. I feel like the little girl rather than getting help had to be the bigger person. The art work was beautiful as well.

Ahh this was so beautiful. I loved how gentle and sweet this story was while also dealing with racism as a child. It would have been lovely to have a little snippet in the back of the book explaining racism and micro-aggressions for children, but the story and illustrations were lovely!!

Thank you to Annick Press and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review!

A beautiful story with equally resplendent illustrations! I was hooked from the very first image of the narrator and her grandmother having a great time together.

The story goes on to compare and contrast their life inside the house (fun and exciting) versus outside (treated differently as if they’re invisible). The narrator can’t understand why grownups treat her Abuelita so badly when her grandmother is always kind, fun, and smiling.

You can really feel the girl’s inner turmoil, especially along one errand they’re accosted by the bus driver and accused of trying to avoid paying the bus fare the way he feels “you people” tend to do. It’s incredibly moving how the girl comes to stand up for herself and her Abuelita and enjoy the outside again.

To summon such strength in the face of such racism and adversary instead of continuing to hide away in fear is no small feat, especially for one as young as the narrator. As Abuelita wisely puts it, “What happened is not our fault. We are not the ones that need to hide.” Just wow. I really enjoyed this book.

Abuelita and Me seemed like a cute and sweet book from the front cover, but it dealt with serious topics like discrimination against immigrants and some of the hardships of speaking a language in a place where you’re not fully accepted. I thought the illustrations were absolutely beautiful and emotion-filled. I think a lot of students would relate to this and find connections with the difficulties that their families might face while learning how to live in new communities. I loved the message about the characters not doing anything wrong even though they received hurtful treatment. Abuelita was brave most of her time, but she is human too and needed a confidence boost from her granddaughter.

My students didnt really care for this book. I wrote down what they said these were the answers
1. good
2. mean
3. nice
4. a little bad
5. didnt like part about bus driver yelling.


I have a classroom with 7-9 year olds so perhaps they are not the demographic for this book. As for my personal opinion. I like how it tried to touch on racism but it missed the mark for me. For this to seemingly be towards a younger audience the "you people" part was a bit much and I dont think would explain much to kids. The grocery store scene just baffled them and me. It seemed as if the man couldnt understand her but wouldnt the granddaughter just help? his behavior was dismissive but again something just missed the mark for me.

This is a cute and sad story because stereotypes and assumptions like this happen every day. Abuelita and her Amorcito do a great job of dealing with her Amorcito's feelings after these interactions.

* eARC was given for free in exchange for an honest review. *

This book deals with the heavy topic of racial in a way that young children will be able to digest. The pictures assist the words in telling the story of a young girl experiencing racism latinx people face on a daily basis.

This book connected with me and brought up various emotions as I read. I think books like this are ideal for the classroom. It was able to explore an important topic in the every day racism some people have to face just going about their lives. It showed how every day racism can be hurtful, but it also showed how to be resilient and support each other. I also liked the style and quality of the art. The book was colourful and engaging and the characters were drawn in a way that conveyed the emotions they felt.

I really enjoyed the illustrations of this book and thought the softness of the images was well suited to a story with heavy subject matter. I think more vivid or sharp illustrations may have made the book feel too heavy for younger readers.

I think that this book is a useful tool to start difficult conversations with kids, but I think it could have gone further in providing tools for how kids could handle micro aggressions like the ones in the story, or how children could ensure they themselves do not have micro aggressions in their behaviour. The ending of the story depicts that the micro aggressions will continue and our protagonist learns to be brave in the face of them. I wonder if there couldn't have been something more empowering included, even if it showed Abuelita accepted by even just one other adult to show that the whole world isn't necessarily going to treat her and her grandmother this way.

Overall I thought this book handled a difficult topic well. I do not think a happy ending would be realistic, but a slightly more empowering angle would have made this a better fit for younger readers.

This book's resolution doesn't feel fully resolved, which initially made me unsure how to rate it. But life and moments of prejudice are often not fully resolved. An important picture book about how sometimes those we love are treated differently or cruelly because of other's prejudices, assumptions, etc. A good conversation starter about microaggressions and/or prejudices.

This book is was very sad. It addressed the systematic racism that LatinX and people of color face on a daily basis. The abulia had a quiet strength and found ways to comfort her granddaughter who could not understand why they were receiving such treatment and tried to make sense of it by saying that they "did nothing wrong". This would be a great resource to used to have a conversation with younger children and help them navigate their feelings if they have ever been exposed to racism. It is also a reminder to think of others when we interact with anyone. We all need more kindness in the world.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4360937848

An Own Voices picture book by an author from El Salvador and an illustrator from Mexico. Both now live in Canada.

The soft illustrations in this book make you love the child narrator and her Abuelita right away. They have all kinds of fun indoors, but as soon as they go outside, the narrator becomes very aware of the way people treat her grandmother - nasty looks, moving away, etc. This culminates in an incident where a bus driver yells at them. The narrator is sad and scared, and refuses to leave the house. Her Abuelita is patient and understanding: "What happened is not our fault. We are not the ones that need to hide."

A good introduction to the heartbreak of racism and prejudice, without being didactic. Older kids especially (5-8) will empathize with the narrator.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a heart wrenching storybook about a girl and her grandmother as they face the angry responses of strangers who do not understand her grandmother. Intolerance is a tough subject to address with children but I felt this storybook does a good job of displaying optimism in a situation that can bring on despair.

When I think of the books I’d share with my class I think of subject, pace and rhythm. The best books start the conversations and let you build on it with your kids. I felt this book got heavier and heavier until it was too dark for its target audience. I could not bring a book this heavy handed in its discussion of prejudice to my elementary schoolers. Perhaps it might be better targeted to middle or high school.

Although I really like the idea of this picture book to help children understand differences between people it felt pretty harsh for the intended audience of I’m guessing 4- 7 year olds. I think it could provide some good discussions especially in a classroom setting.

This book is so cute! It has a strong message about a hard topic if racism, and a grandmother/granddaughter’s love. I appreciate the way the author handled this topic for the little girl. It must have been her first taste of racism, and her grandmother showed her how to react. The little girl builds strength from her anger and decides they shouldn’t stay inside because of mean people out in the city. They have each other and their love is so strong.

Sad, emotionally deep picture book about racism. The art style is so cute and lovely which offsets a darker theme. There is no resolution because unfortunately that would be unrealistic. The protagonist and her abuelita stand up to racist bullies, but that doesn't make racism go away. But they don't let it steal their strength or make them hide.

I hope this will help show white kids the realities of being a visible minority (and why we should not be bystanders when we see/hear racism) and will show BIPOC kids that they have a right to fight back.

Great children's book. I especially liked Abuelita. It's a great way to show children what happens when you venture outside your home. Great illustrations.