Grandma's Gift/ Pura Belpre

Plot Summary:

             Set in New York City and told in first person, this book begins at the start of Christmas holidays for a young boy. His assignment is to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at a new painting that has been procured by the museum. His Puerto Rican grandmother says she will take him if he helps her make pasteles, a Puerto Rican Christmas dish. They go to the market to buy supplies for the pasteles, and his grandmother feels very comfortable in her environment. Then they go home and work on the food. After that, they visit the MET where his grandmother is out of her element and must ask the boy to translate for her. When they get to the new painting, the grandmother recognizes the man in the portrait and both learn a lot about a famous Puerto Rican artist. For Christmas, Grandma gives the boy a set of drawing pencils and paper.

Personal Reaction:            

            I really liked this book, it was culturally meaningful, and felt very authentic. I believe that kids with a variety of backgrounds might like this book. I love the close relationship that the boy has with Grandma. I also like that it featured the MET, mainly because it was my favorite thing about New York City (okay maybe not favorite, but up there). The illustrations are very nice. The pictures are realistic and done in neutrals and earth tones with bold and bright accents. The expressions on the peoples’ faces were joyful, adding to the warm feeling of the book.

Velasquez, E. (2010). Grandma's gift. New York: Walker.