When Estrella's Tía Fortuna has to say goodbye to her longtime Miami apartment building, The Seaway, to move to an assisted living community, Estrella spends the day with her. Tía explains the significance of her most important possessions from both her Cuban and Jewish culture: old photographs, the mezuzah on her doorway, the key to a home she had to leave behind. As the pair enjoy homemade borekas filled with "potatoes and cheese and... esperanza," they learn to say goodbye together and explore a new beginning for Tía.
A poignant and lyrical multicultural ode to family, tradition, culture, and togetherness, Tía Fortuna's New Home explores Tía and Estrella's Sephardic Jewish and Cuban heritage. Through Tía's journey, Estrella will learn that as long as you have your family, home is truly where the heart is.
"Behar’s (Letters from Cuba) warmhearted storytelling turns the past, present, and future into a confluence of connections as Estrella realizes her role in a legacy of faith, hope, and resilience. The text’s lyrical mood is well supported by Holzwarth’s (Papa, Daddy, and Riley) mixed media illustrations. Tía Fortuna’s colorful dress, warm smile, and swirl of bright white hair exude energy and resolve, while the compositions’ curvilinear lines and embellishments of Sephardic Jewish and tropical motifs speak to a life well lived — with plenty of joy still ahead." — Publishers Weekly
Recommended Age | 4 - 8 |
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Author | Ruth Behar |
Illustrator | Devon Holzwarth |
ISBN | 0593172418 |
Publication Date | Jan 25, 2022 |
Publisher | Knopf Books for Young Readers |
Language | English |