Nana, ¡Qué Sorpresa!/Nana’s Big Surprise.

By staff -- Críticas, 5/1/2007

K-Gr 1—When grandfather Tata dies, mourning Nana moves in with her family. Before she arrives, the whole family builds a chicken coop. They hope this will keep their grandmother busy and help with her grief. They all miss the happy Nana they remember from their visits to Mexico—where Tata sold fruits and vegetables at the mercado and Nana raised chickens and sold eggs. It’s hard for the children to understand how deep their grandmother’s grief is. Yet, by the end of the story, Nana is singing and dancing with her granddaughter to entertain the chickens. Based on the author’s childhood memories, this story is beautifully written in English and in Spanish. The illustrations, which sometimes may seem too busy, are a wonderful combination of bright acrylics, photographs, and a textured collage that uses crochet, terry cloth, and wicker. Author and illustrator notes are included at the end. Overall, this is a great book to discuss death, understand grief, and comprehend the role of family in dealing with both. Recommended for bookstores, and public and elementary libraries.—Veronica Covington, Univ. of Texas, Austin