Good-bye, Havana! Hola, New York!

Gr 2—5—After Castro confiscates her father's restaurant, Gabriella's parents leave Cuba for New York to settle in the Bronx. Unaware of the reason for their departure or its consequences, Gabriella stays with her grandparents. Several weeks later, her father returns and takes her to her new home. "She missed her toys, the sound of the beach, and Abuelita and Abito." She cries the first day of school; "Miss Lepoor kept talking to Gabriella, but Gabriella did not understand." This picture book chronicles the year in which Gabriella learns English, makes friends, and acclimates to her new life. One year and seven months after her parents immigrate, both Cuban grandparents join the family in America. Youngsters will gain insight into the immigrant experience as well as the Cuban revolution through the simple, heartfelt narration. Lush, evocative watercolor and colored-pencil artwork captures the warmth of the child's family as well as the contrast between the tropical beauty and unrest of her homeland and the wintry New York landscape. Pair this book with Rosemary Wells and Secundino Fernandez's My Havana (Candlewick, 2010), which is a more detailed account of a six-year-old boy's exodus for similar reasons.—Barbara Auerbach, PS 217, Brooklyn, NY