About This Book:
A debut author and an award-winning illustrator unite to craft an entirely bilingual ode to the amor, courage, and memories we carry from one generation to the next, from one country to another.
We worked and worked
juntos,
holding, shaping, and forging
our sueños
Mamá tells her children a story that began when their papá was a niño, not far from here. Their abuelitas told stories of their antepasados, and their abuelo, a blacksmith, taught their papá how to make art from earth and fire. When abuelo died, papá took all those lessons to heart and crossed la frontera to el norte to follow his sueños. There, he worked and overcame barriers, known to many immigrants alike, to forge his own obra maestra: a familia and a future in which anything is possible.
Debut author Nydia Armendia-Sánchez relays a story of familial love, creativity, and comunidad through a translanguage text that moves naturally from English to español and back in a manner that will be familiar to many second and third generations of Latine families—and evocative to immigrant families of any heritage. Brilliantly brought to life by Devon Holzwarth’s rich, imaginative illustrations, this warm abrazo of a book features a glossary of Spanish words.
*Review Contributed by Adrien Guerra, Staff Reviewer*
Not Far From Here starts with Mama telling her children a story that begins when their papa was a child. The story starts in a place not far from here where he hears stories from his grandparents and his father works as a blacksmith. When Papa’s father passes away he takes all those lessons and comes to El Norte to follow his dreams where he works to overcome barriers that many immigrants face.
What I Liked: I instantly fell in love with this book from the first page that I read when I realized how the author managed to include Spanish terms. I appreciated how the Spanish language was included throughout the book and how the terms weren’t common words that non-Spanish speakers would know. This book is one that I can’t wait to share with others who have a similar background or who have Spanish as their first language.
Something that I appreciate about this book is how it transitions to sharing how the children may encounter others who are different and the way those people may be treated because of those differences in skin tone or language. I love that the mother is telling her children how to approach others with love and kindness, and how to share in other cultures and share their own as well.
This book does a great job of capturing the importance of family, and where you come from. This book serves as a reminder that our origins shape our past and present and that we can still dream of more. I love that this book shows how the father dreamed of more for himself and worked to get that for himself and his family.
Final Verdict: Not Far From Here is a warm hug that is full of love, especially for those of us with similar histories. Children ages 4 and up will enjoy learning about another culture, and those who share the plight of the people in those stories will enjoy seeing themselves reflected in literature.
*Find More Info & Buy This Book HERE!*
