by Leonarda Carranza, featuring illustrations by Rafael Mayani
Recommended for ages: 4–7
ISBN: 9781773216102
Abuelita and Me
Annick Press | 2022
In this poignant, empowering picture book debut, a girl and her beloved abuelita lean on each other as they contend with racism while running errands in the city.
Spending time at home with Abuelita means pancakes, puddle-jumping, and nail-painting. But venturing out into the city is not always as fun. On the bus and at the grocery store, people are impatient and suspicious—sometimes they even yell. Sad, angry, and scared, the story’s young narrator decides not to leave home again...until a moment of empowerment helps her see the strength she and Abuelita share when they face the world together. Warm, expressive illustrations by Rafael Mayani highlight the tenderness in Abuelita and the narrator’s relationship.
Winner: International Latino Book Award 2022 (best fiction picture book in English)
Praise for Abuelita and Me
“A beautiful story with equally resplendent illustrations!”
―The Bookshelf Corner
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“Carranza poignantly addresses racism and microaggressions in this book about a brave and observant child . . . Mayani’s expressive illustrations use vibrant colors and warm tones to convey the story’s difficult topic in a comforting manner.”
―Booklist, *STARRED REVIEW
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“With bright, expressive illustrations, this is an accessible, tender exploration of the ways in which many marginalized people experience the world.”
―Kirkus Reviews, *STARRED REVIEW
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“A resonant, intergenerational picture book about an important and necessary topic; highly recommended for children’s picture book collections.”
―School Library Journal
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“An important book that reminds readers about the individual, collective and systemic actions needed to create fair and just communities.”
―Toronto Star
Spanish Edition (Abuelita y yo)
ISBN: 9781773216591
Abuelita y yo
Annick Press | 2022
Este debut literario relata la profunda y conmovedora historia de cómo una niña y su abuelita enfrentan varias manifestaciones del racismo en su vida cotidiana.
El tiempo en casa con Abuelita es divertido. Incluye comer panqueques, saltar charcos y pintarse las uñas. Mientras que las salidas para hacer compras no siempre son divertidas. En el supermercado y en el bus la gente es impaciente y desconfiada. A veces alzan la voz y gritan. Esto entristece, enfada y atemoriza a la niña protagonista de la historia. Ella decide nunca más salir de su casa. Esto cambia cuando en un instante la pequeña se da cuenta que unidas, ella y Abuelita, son mucho más fuertes.
Los cálidos y expresivos dibujos de Rafael Mayani ilustran magníficamente la ternura que existe entre la narradora y su querida Abuelita.
edited by Leonarda Carranza, Eufemia Fantetti, and Ayelett Tsabari
ISBN: 9781771667142
Tongues: On Longing and Belonging Through Language
Book*hug Press | 2021
In this collection of deeply personal essays, twenty-six writers explore their connection with language, accents, and vocabularies, and contend with the ways these can be used as both bridge and weapon. Some explore the way power and privilege affect language learning, especially the shame and exclusion often felt by non-native English speakers in a white, settler, colonial nation. Some confront the pain of losing a mother tongue or an ancestral language along with the loss of community and highlight the empowerment that comes with reclamation. Others celebrate the joys of learning a new language and the power of connection. All underscore how language can offer both transformation and collective healing.
Tongues: On Longing and Belonging through Language is a vital anthology that opens a compelling dialogue about language diversity and probes the importance of language in our identity and the ways in which it shapes us.
With contributions by: Kamal Al-Solaylee, Jenny Heijun Wills, Karen McBride, Melissa Bull, Leonarda Carranza, Adam Pottle, Kai Cheng Thom, Sigal Samuel, Rebecca Fisseha, Hege Anita Jakobsen Lepri, Logan Broeckaert, Taslim Jaffer, Ashley Hynd, Jagtar Kaur Atwal, Téa Mutonji, Rowan McCandless, Sahar Golshan, Camila Justino, Amanda Leduc, Ayelet Tsabari, Carrianne Leung, Janet Hong, Danny Ramadan, Sadiqa de Meijer, Jónína Kirton, and Eufemia Fantetti.
Other Publications
Anthologies
2021 | “Lengua Materna,” Tongues: On Longing and Belonging through Language, Book*hug Press
2017 | “Tongues,” Best Canadian Essays 2017, Tightrope Books
2017 | “Love in Nine Chapters,” Best Canadian Essays 2017, Tightrope Books
Creative Non-Fiction
2019 | “I was a Reluctant Translator,” The New Quarterly, Issue 151
2019 | “White Spaces Brown Bodies,” Room Magazine, Issue 42.2
2019 | “When You Were Someone Else,” Humber Lit Review, Vol 7 Issue 1
2018 | “The McGill Experiment,” Briarpatch Magazine, Vol 47, No 2
2017 | “Body out of Place,” Room Magazine, Issue 40.3
2017 | “Othered Stories,” Voices from the FOLD 2017, The Festival of Literary Diversity
2016 | “Love in Nine Chapters,” The New Quarterly, Issue 140
2016 | “Tongues,” Room Magazine, Issue 39.1
Op-eds and Guest Posts
2021 | “After two years of loss, the last thing I want to do is lose my mother tongue, too,” The Globe and Mail
2019 | “Bad Jobs: Why We Stayed,” carte blanche à la carte blog
2018 | “A Landscape for an Anxious Mind,” Invisible Publishing
2018 | “On Rejection,” The New Quarterly Blog