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All Around Us

“Grandpa says circles are all around us. We just have to look for them.” A young Latina girl gardening with her grandfather begins to notice and appreciate all the different kinds of circles he points out to her, both literal (the sun, the clock, bicycle wheels) and figurative (the other half of a rainbow, the life cycle). Once Grandpa gets her to start looking, she sees them everywhere and can feel herself as part of the great circle of life. In her debut picture book, Xelena Gonzalez makes an abstract concept completely accessible to young readers, and Adriana M. Garcia’s realistic digital art heightens this visual interplay between metaphor and reality while also showing the close relationship between a child and her grandfather. Although the text never mentions death, the book could certainly be used to open a discussion on the subject between an adult and a child. In a note, the author discusses how her mestizos (Spanish and American Indian) heritage informed the perspective of the story. ©2017 Cooperative Children's Book Center

Illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-7
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Families Grandfathers
Diversity subjects: Indigenous Latine

Publisher: Cinco Puntos
Publish Year: 2017
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9781941026762

CCBC Location: Picture Book, Gonzalez

All Around Us