My Abuelita by Tony Johnston

Johnston, T.  (2009).  My Abuelita.  New York: Harcourt Children's Books.  Unpaged, $16.00.  Illustrated by Yuyi Morales.

The little boy, the narrator, enjoys spending time with his abuelita.  He understands that she has a very important job that she loves.  What could that job be?  The title of this book refers to the little boy's grandmother, how they spend their day together, and how much he loves her.

This is the story of a little boy and Abuelita, his grandmother.  She lives with him and his family, and he wouldn't have it any other way.  Abuelita (the Spanish word for grandma) is very busy, but she is an amazing person.  She plays with him, tells, him stories, and takes care of him.  She has an important job, and the little boy wants to be just like her.

The story has some Spanish words with the English translations next to them.  The pictures are very colorful and complement the story well.  They have a bit of texture to them that kind of makes them stand out (sort of like 3-D) on the pages. 

This was a nice story that made me smile and think about my grandmas.  I called them Abuelita too.  They used to take care of me when I was little, and we (my sisters, cousins) would convince them to play with us and they'd always have something good to eat.  Even now my sister goes to my grandma's house when she's hungry because she knows that "Grandma will feel me." 

This is a Pura Belpre Honor Book.  Go to http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,1000016708,00.html to learn about Tony Johsnson.  Other books Tony Johnston has written include That Summer and The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall.  To learn more about the illustrator and other books she's illustrated, visit http://www.yuyimorales.com/.  Other books she's illustrated include Ladder to the Moon, Floating on Mama's Song, and Sand Sister.

Tony Johnston, the author



Yuyi Morales, the illustrator