Ismée Williams

This book would be good for primary or early intermediate students.

This story follows a girl and her abuelo as they visit the beach together and make special memories. The girl learns more about her abuelo's life and that he used to be a professional swimmer.

When reading this book, I would want to talk about abuelo's experience and his grandchild's experience and how they have both grown up in different places—how abuelo had never seen snow when he was a kid.

Brief Summary:Over the span of four seasons, a grandchild visits her abuelo at the sea where, through their beach walks by summer waves and winter spray, he shares memories of his youth in Havana, Cuba bringing his homeland alive through scents, sounds, and stories.

Classroom Use: This picture book is excellent for discussing family bonds, immigration, memory, and the natural world. You can use it to prompt students to reflect on what “home” means, explore sensory language (how the sea show more feels, smells, sounds), and compare different seasons and landscapes. Because it deals with longing and the immigrant experience, it also supports building empathy and cultural understanding

Ages: 4-8 show less

Kindergarten-2nd grade
This book shows a little girl's trip to the beach with her grandfather on various occasions and shows the special relationship between them. There is also a great representation of interests and tastes specific to them, and a connection to the earth. This story would be great for an entertaining read-aloud.

This would be good for grades 2-5.

A grandchild visits her abuelo on the sea and he talks to her about connections he has had with the sea.

This would be good in a lesson about how you can learn things from people.