Claire B. Cotts

“A few days before Christmas, Panchito’s family decided it was time to move again.” So begins the Christmas tale of a young boy whose migrant family is struggling to make ends meet. Based on the childhood experiences of author Francisco Jim&eacuate;nez, the beautiful story and paintings capture Panchito’s loneliness, as well as his parents’ devotion to their children and each other.

Each morning in the early fall, Ana and her mother watch the blackbirds fly away. “One day I will return like you,” Ana’s mother tells the birds. Ana knows that her mother is thinking of her homeland, Costa Rica, and Ana’a grandparents. When Ana holds a special volcanic stone that her mother brought with her, she is certain that someday they will return together. A tender depiction of the nostalgia and dreams of an immigrant family.