Saudade: Our Longing for Brazil
CCBC Review:
The young narrator of this deeply felt picture book doesn’t know what her mother means whenever she says “Que Saudade!” To the girl, it sounds like a secret. She learns instead that Mamãe is describing a feeling. “She feels saudade … when she dreams of her mother’s pão de queijo but can’t find the ingredients anywhere. Mamãe says saudade is a strong longing for something you can’t have.” Is her own longing for ice cream saudade? No, Mamãe teasingly explains, that’s just a craving. As the girl thinks about visits to Brazil and time spent with family there—happy memories of playing with cousins; being with the grandparents that she can only visit on the computer for now—and the feeling she experiences “on cold and quiet days,” she realizes she does understand saudade. “I didn’t know that feeling had a name. … Saudade is like a painful blister after a long and beautiful hike—No matter how much it hurts, the memories are always worth it.” The author’s note explains that saudade is a common theme of Brazilian art and literature. Here, its meaning unfolds in a child-centered story grounded in Brazilian culture but accessible to all. Watercolor and digital painting were used to create the soft and warm mixed-media illustrations. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Andre Ceolin
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 5-8
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Brazilians and Brazilian Americans
Families
Feelings/Emotions
Diversity subject:
Latine
Publishers:
Holiday House, Neal Porter Books
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780823452293
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Crespo