Picture Books

Nana and Abuela

Author Monica Rojas

Illustrator Emiko Rainbow

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Minnesota Historical Society Press (March 2023)

As Luna and her grandmothers embark on a fun evening of food and stories and laughter, a language kerfuffle threatens to spoil their time together.

Description

Luna lives with her two grown-ups in a small home next to a river. She has "two pets, two pillows on her bed, and two languages in her head."

Luna also has two grandmothers: Nana and Abuela. They are her two favorite people, and they are very different from each other. When her grown-ups are away, Nana and Abuela visit for a "date night" with Luna. Together they plan a delicious meal: pizza with olives.

But when Luna adds something to the menu, she blends her Spanish and her English. Her request for this special treat confuses her grandmothers. They ask, "¿Luna, qué dijiste?" and "Luna, what are you saying?" As the three of them work together to understand each other, Abuela and Nana offer comfort, each in their own way, and Luna figures out how to make herself heard.

In Nana and Abuela, Monica Rojas recounts a story from her own childhood, while Emiko Rainbow's playful artistry brings Luna's world to vibrant life. This bilingual story about love and listening celebrates relationships and communication—and what young and old alike can learn from spending time with our favorite people.