The Yellow Handkerchief (El Pañuelo Amarillo) - by Donna Barba Higuera (Hardcover)

About the Book

A young girl wishes her family could be more like her friends' families and subconsiously blames her abuela and her yellow handkerchief, but she slowly grows to appreciate and love the language and culture the handkerchief represents.

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

*****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

***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

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. Cynthia Alonso is an illustrator and graphic designer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is currently living in Berlin working worldwide on fiction and nonfiction children books, surface design, and editorial illustration. Her debut picture book in the United States, Aquarium, was published by Chronicle Books.