Abuela
Written by Arthur Dorros,
Illustrated by Elisa Kleven
Dutton Children's Books, 1991
A little girl and her grandmother take an imaginary flying
journey around New York City.
In English with Spanish phrases and glossary.
A Dolly Parton 2016 Imagination Library program selection
ALA Notable Book
Parent’s Choice Award for Illustration
Reading Rainbow Book
A Book Links Best Book
A Boston Globe Best Book
Horn Book Fanfare selection
“Each illustration is a masterpiece of color, line,
and form that will mesmerize youngsters. These
are pages to be studied again and again...this
book is a jewel.”
-- starred, Booklist
“A marvelous balancing of narrative simplicity
with visual intricacy...the city is transformed
into a treasure trove of jewels, dazzling the eye,
uplifting the spirits.”
--starred, Horn Book
“Books like the charming ABUELA make children
dream...It’s just joyful. I wish I could fly.”
--Molly Ivins, New York Times
To hear a bit of back story about my work on
ABUELA, click on this link to the
Teaching Books website:
ABUELA is travelling the country , visiting children's museums
in a show featuring seven classic picture books.
Storyland -A Trip Through Childhood Favorites
• 2500 sq. foot, bilingual, traveling children’s exhibit focused on literacy,
and early literacy learning practices.
• Consists of seven children’s book areas, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Snowy
Day, Where’s Spot?, Abuela, Tuesday, If you Give a Mouse a Cookie, and
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, each with unique learning components.
• Exhibit also functions to teach adult caretakers how to use these early
literacy practices outside of the museum to prepare children to read,
starting at birth.
I love these dolls from ABUELA. The little Abuela was given to me at a school visit, the big Abuela was made by master puppet maker and children's
librarian extraordinaire Kim Faurot, and Rosalba is a product of Merrymakers, which brings children's book characters to soft, cuddly life.
A photo of the beautiful quilt below, based on ABUELA (and SUN BREAD, too -- Baker Dog can be seen at the bottom) was emailed to me several years ago. Alas, I can't find the email with the artist's name, but I love the quilt.
Abuela puzzle