Abuelita's Song

by Gloria Amescua, Mariyah Rahman (Illustrator)

Overview

From Pura Belpré Honor author Gloria Amescua comes a sweet picture book integrating Spanish words and celebrating the family and music that connects us all.

Every night, when the sun says buenas noches, a mother sings a special lullaby to her baby boy: ¿Dónde está mi corazón? Aquí, aquí, aquí en mis brazos.

As he gets older, the boy asks for his song over and over until it’s forever in his heart. When the boy grows up and moves away, he teaches the song to his daughters. And now that Abuelita is coming for a visit, the girls plan a surprise for her: they are going to sing her song, “La canción del corazón.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665957526
Publisher:	Beach Lane Books
Publication date:	05/20/2025
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	93 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Gloria Amescua has enjoyed writing poems and stories since she was a child. Her lyrical picture book biography, Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua, illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh, was a Pura Belpré Author Honor Book, a recipient of three International Latino Book Awards, a SCBWI Golden Kite finalist, a RISE Top Ten Feminist Book Project selection, and a co-winner of the Américas Award. She is also the author of Abuelita’s Song, inspired by her own family. Gloria lives in Austin, Texas. Visit her at GloriaAmescua.com.

Mariyah Rahman was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago. She spent her earliest years climbing trees, digging for fossils, and drawing on walls with crayons. Today, she is an illustrator for children’s books and entertainment but has still never found a fossil.

Editorial Reviews

"This simple yet deeply sincere tale would make a wonderful addition to any bedtime story collection. A heartfelt lullaby bridges generations, weaving love and memories into a gentle bedtime story."

Kirkus Reviews

"A beautiful purchase allowing libraries to share a bilingual story of a family’s love. Give to fans of Robert Munsch’s Love You Forever."

School Library Journal

2025-02-01
Songs from the heart shared with family create lasting memories.

On a moonlit night, a new mother cradles her infant son. The baby snoozes peacefully in her arms, and when he stirs, she soothes him back to sleep with a lullaby of her own creation. This sweet song becomes a cherished bedtime tradition throughout his childhood. Years later, the boy has grown into a man, and he sings the song to his two daughters one sleepless night. The tune brings back warm memories of his mother’s love and lulls his children to sleep. When his mother—the girls’ Abuelita—visits after having been away for years, the children surprise her by singing the lullaby. Moved, Abuelita joins them, and together they sing the song each night. She calls it “la canción de mi corazón”—the song of my heart—expressing how it connects the family across generations. The story’s softly rendered illustrations, featuring stars and swirling patterns in the bedtime scenes, capture the magic and emotional resonance of the song. In an author’s note, readers learn that Amescua originally wrote the lullaby for her own son and later sang it to her grandchildren, adding a personal dimension to the story. This simple yet deeply sincere tale would make a wonderful addition to any bedtime story collection. Characters are brown-skinned and Latine.

A heartfelt lullaby bridges generations, weaving love and memories into a gentle bedtime story. (glossary, lyrics, music notation)(Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews