Where Are You From?
(HarperCollins,Jun.4.2019)
Written by Yamile Saied Méndez
This resonant picture book tells the story of one girl who constantly gets asked a simple question that doesn’t have a simple answer. A great conversation starter in the home or classroom—a book to share, in the spirit of I Am Enough by Grace Byers and Keturah A. Bobo.
When a girl is asked where she’s from—where she’s really from—none of her answers seems to be the right one.
Unsure about how to reply, she turns to her loving abuelo for help. He doesn’t give her the response she expects. She gets an even better one.
Where am I from?
You’re from hurricanes and dark storms, and a tiny singing frog that calls the island people home when the sun goes to sleep....
With themes of self-acceptance, identity, and home, this powerful, lyrical picture book will resonate with readers young and old, from all backgrounds and of all colors—especially anyone who ever felt that they don’t belong.
An ideal vehicle for readers to ponder and discuss their own identities.
Kirkus - Starred Review
(Kirkus 2019 Best Picture Book the Year)
An enchanted, hand-in-hand odyssey...[and] opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the many, many backgrounds, roots, histories, of those who live in these United States.
Shelf Awareness
This touching book addresses a ubiquitous question for children of color, and in the end, the closeness between the girl and Abuelo shows that no matter the questions, she knows exactly where she’s from.
Booklist
A great read-aloud with simple yet evocative language, this picture book will validate many young children’s experience, and for others will lend itself well to starting conversations around race and racial aggressions.
School Library Journal