The Yellow Handkerchief (El pañuelo amarillo) (Picture Book)

by Donna Barba Higuera, Cynthia Alonso (Illustrator)

Overview

A child confronts conflicting feelings of embarrassment and love for her Mexican abuela in this moving, personal story from Newbery- and Pura Belpré Award–winning author Donna Barba Higuera

My abuela wears an old yellow handkerchief that her grandmother gave to her.
I don’t like the yellow handkerchief.

When a young girl feels ashamed of her family for being “different” and subconsciously blames her abuela, she gradually grows to not only accept but also love the yellow handkerchief that represents a language and culture that once brought embarrassment.

Inspired by the personal experiences of award-winning author Donna Barba Higuera and expressively illustrated by Cynthia Alonso, The Yellow Handkerchief is a lyrical, honest, and intimate intergenerational story about embracing who we are, where we come from, and the people who shape us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419760143
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	03/21/2023
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,133,074
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.55(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Donna Barba Higuera grew up dodging dust devils in the oil fields of central California. She was a daydreamer, constantly blending life experiences and folklore into stories. Now she weaves them into picture books and novels. Higuera currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, four children, three dogs, and two frogs. El Cucuy Is Scared, Too! was her debut picture book, and she is also the author of the middle-grade novels The Last Cuentista, winner of the Newbery Medal and Pura Belpré Award, and Lupe Wong Won’t Dance, winner of a Pura Belpré Honor, the Sid Fleischman Award for Humor, and a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award.

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/03/2023

In this deceptively simple story, a yellow square of fabric embodies a Latinx child’s internalized shame over the differences between their home life and that of a white-presenting friend. In the unnamed narrator’s multigenerational home, “my abuela wears an old yellow handkerchief that her grandmother gave to her” as she “scrubs the mud off our patio on her hands and knees” and undertakes other domestic tasks. When the narrator’s friend Becca asks what Abuela is cooking and why (after plucking a chicken) she has feathers in her hair, the protagonist feels embarrassment. Wishing the family had money for takeout and would buy chicken at the store “like everyone else,” the protagonist offers increasingly frustrated variations on, “I can’t stand that yellow handkerchief.” But when Abuela has to stay elsewhere for health reasons, and leaves the handkerchief behind, the ache of missing her changes everything. Higuera’s tight, insightful text, and Alonso’s playful digital illustrations—threaded with pink and purple—lighten an intensely personal-feeling exploration of shame and pride. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

***STARRED REVIEW***
"Spanish words are woven gracefully throughout...Inspired by Newbery medalist Higuera’s own childhood memories, this marvelous and moving picture book is an affecting tribute to the ties that bind."

Booklist

***STARRED REVIEW***
"Spanish words are woven gracefully throughout...Inspired by Newbery medalist Higuera’s own childhood memories, this marvelous and moving picture book is an affecting tribute to the ties that bind." —Booklist

***STARRED REVIEW***

Higuera’s tight, insightful text, and Alonso’s playful digital illustrations—threaded with pink and purple—lighten an intensely personal-feeling exploration of shame and pride.—Publishers Weekly

*****STARRED REVIEW*****

Alonso’s saturated, textured artwork brims with emotion. Her dynamic illustrations paired with evocative, purposeful prose convey the nuance of identity and young people’s often complicated feelings about their families and cultural backgrounds.—Kirkus

From the Publisher

★ 2023-03-29
In Newbery Award–winning author Higuera’s latest, cultural understanding between generations blossoms.

A Latine girl with brown skin and wavy brown hair lives in a modest farmhouse with her family, including her abuela. Abuela keeps busy with chores, and the yellow handkerchief she wears in her hair—a gift from her own grandmother—proves useful throughout the day. Feelings of shame and embarrassment swirl as the narrator’s visiting friend Becca, who presents White, asks innocent questions about what Abuela is doing. Reading Becca’s curiosity as criticism, the narrator concludes, “I definitely don’t like the yellow handkerchief.” To the granddaughter, the handkerchief has come to represent a sense of otherness, and as she thinks about Abuela growing her own food, raising chickens, and speaking Spanish, she wishes that her family could do things more “like everyone else.” When Abuela needs to leave for several days, the girl steps into the role of caretaker, donning the yellow handkerchief to stay connected to Abuela, and gains new appreciation for her grandmother’s hard work. A sweet reunion brings with it acceptance and a new capacity for self-love. Alonso’s saturated, textured artwork brims with emotion. Her dynamic illustrations paired with evocative, purposeful prose convey the nuance of identity and young people’s often complicated feelings about their families and cultural backgrounds. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A gentle triumph. (author’s note) (Picture book. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews