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.

Leonarda Carranza was born in El Salvador to a family of Indigenous and African ancestry. She holds a PhD in Social Justice Education from the University of Toronto. Her children's book, Abuelita and Me, will be published by Annick Press in winter 2022. Her essays have been published in Room, The New Quarterly, Briarpatch, Humber Literary Review, and Best Canadian Essays. She is the winner of Briarpatch Magazine's seventh annual Writing in the Margins contest, was shortlisted for PRISM International's short forms contest, and was the winner of Room's 2018 short forms contest for her piece, "White Spaces Brown Bodies." She lives in Brampton

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Rafael Mayani is a Mexican artist based in Vancouver, Canada. He draws inspiration from the vibrant colours and shapes of Mexico and the natural beauty of Canadian landscapes.

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