This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
Written by Newbery Medal and Pura Belpré Author Award Winner
DONNA BARBA HIGUERA Illustrated by
CYNTHIA ALONSO
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
Abrams Books for Young Readers New York
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My abuela wears an old yellow handkerchief that her grandmother gave to her.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
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This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
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9/17/22 9:38 AM
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
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9/17/22 9:38 AM
Abuela scrubs the mud offproof. our patio This is an advance, uncorrected her hands and knees. or Not foron resale, duplication, Then she quietly on the porch and reposting. Please dosits not quote without comparison tothe thedirt finished book. cleans from under her nails. I don’t like the yellow handkerchief.
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Abuela carries the eggs from the coop into the kitchen.
The smell of homemade chorizo and eggs drifts in the air. My mouth waters. Becca sniffs.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
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This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book. “What is your grandma cooking for dinner?” I’m ashamed to tell her. I wish we had money to buy pizza or takeout like Becca’s family. I definitely don’t like the yellow handkerchief.
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The oldest gallina no longer lays eggs. Abuela plucks the chicken. “Um, why does your grandmother have feathers in her hair?” Becca asks.
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I glance at the chicken coop. My belly will be full, but . . . why can’t we buy chicken at the store like everyone else?
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I can’t stand the yellow handkerchief.
9/17/22 9:38 AM
Abuela works in the garden. She gathers tomatillos and peppers.
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She moves slowly, but the rows are straight and clear of weeds.
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Abuela wipes the dirt and sweat from her face.
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Then she waves her handkerchief to get my attention. “Mija, ven acá. Ayúdame.”
“What did she say?” Becca asks.
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I wish Abuela talked like Becca’s grandmother. “I have to go,” I answer.
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I despise the yellow handkerchief.
9/17/22 9:38 AM
“Lava monster! Lava monster!” Becca yells.
I accidentally call out “Safe!” in Spanish instead of English.
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9/17/22 9:39 AM
I cover my mouth in embarrassment. Becca doesn’t understand and springs toward me. I quickly dodge to one side too fast, and . . .
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Abuela slips off her yellow handkerchief and wipes my tears.
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She kisses my cheek. she says, telling me to be myself.
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This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
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That night, she sits on the edge of my bed and sings,
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When my sister, Mariana, gets a bad cold, Abuela must go live with her sister so she doesn’t get sick, too. We are all sad.
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This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
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I move into Abuela’s room so Mariana doesn’t make me sick, either.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
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This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book. Without Abuela, the room feels so empty . . . except for the handkerchief.
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In all the rush, she must have left it behind.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
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This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
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The garden is overgrown. I weed the rows.
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Our new chicken squawks. I collect her eggs.
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The patio grows dusty. I make it shine.
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At bedtime, I sing to Mariana,
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
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This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
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This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
I sit on our porch and look out at my work.
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Without Abuela, I wipe my own tears. I miss her and I’m tired of us being apart.
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This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
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This is an advance, uncorrected proof. And . . . Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
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This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
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9/17/22 9:39 AM
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
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When I was young, there were things I did not understand or appreciate about my abuela. While my friends’ grandmothers wore fancy dresses and drove new cars, my grandmother wore faded housedresses and came to town in an old, rusty truck. When she was a little girl, instead of going to school like other children, she’d worked as a maid in a hotel to help support her family. My friends’ grandmothers lived in big houses with lawns and flower gardens. My grandmother lived in a tiny, tilting This is an advance, uncorrected proof. farmhouse surrounded by tumbleweeds Not for resale, duplication, or and cacti in dusty oil fields. Other reposting. Please do not quote without grandmas had cats or dogs; mine had comparison to the finished book. pigs and chickens (and they weren’t pets). Their grandmothers bought their food at stores. At my grandmother’s table,
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almost everything we ate came from her yard. My friends ate store-bought hot dogs; we scrubbed pig intestines to make chorizo. They had bookshelves of books and traditional fairy tales. My grandmother didn’t have a library full of books—but she never ran out of colorful stories about her family and our history. From her memory, she spoke magical folklore that I’d never find in the books in my school’s library. I know now how beautiful, brilliant, interesting, and strong she was. I miss her stories. I miss milking goats and gathering eggs with her. I miss the smell of corn flour in her kitchen while she cooked. I even miss This is to anmake advance, uncorrected proof. scrubbing pig intestines Not for resale, duplication, or chorizo with her. reposting. Please do not quote without And I’d give almost anything comparison to the finished book. to see her waving her dirty handkerchief and hear her calling me inside just one more time.
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For my grandmother, Maria (Mary) Barba Salgado Higuera Matney —D.B.H. For Hilda and Toti, my beloved abuelas in this life —C.A.
The artwork for this book was created digitally with mixed media crayon textures. Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for and may be obtained from the Library of Congress. ISBN 978-1-4197-6014-3 Text © 2023 Donna Barba Higuera This is anIllustrations advance, uncorrected proof. © 2023 Cynthia Alonso Not for resale, Book design by Heather Kellyduplication, and Natalie Padbergor Bartoo reposting. Please do not quote without Published in 2023 by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights to bethe finished reserved. Nocomparison portion of this book may reproduced, stored book. in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. Printed and bound in China 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Abrams Books for Young Readers are available at special discounts when purchased in quantity for premiums and promotions as well as fundraising or educational use. Special editions can also be created to specification. For details, contact specialsales@abramsbooks.com or the address below. Abrams® is a registered trademark of Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
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