The duo behind Pura Belpré Award winner, All Around Us, return with another exciting collaboration, Where Wonder Grows. Written by Xelena González and illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia, Where Wonder Grows is a breath-taking exploration into the wonder of the natural world.
Inspired by their classroom visits from all over the country, González and Garcia create a visually stunning, poetically simple and yet sublime story of three young mestizo* girls exploring the grandeur of their grandmother’s special rock garden through their cherished Indigenous traditions.
In their garden where wonder grows and stories blossom, their grandmother relays all the varied collective elements of nature that created or shaped these cherished beings; fire from volcanoes and ocean waters are beautifully depicted across the page — a privilege to behold and consume.
Cinco Puntos Press website.
A truly engaging and imaginative story, creating the space to appreciate nature as it stands and as it has been, will allow young readers to creativity explore their own backyards thoughtfully, affording the conversations around the power of our environment by investigating the beauty of rocks, shells, crystals, and meteorites.
An Own Voices picture book, Where Wonder Grows, is an invaluable and unique story, exemplary of what BIPOC authors and illustrators have to share. And in a time where children consistently find themselves managing screen time and the ongoing stress of the pandemic, González and Garcia provide a meditational work that provides an escape into the natural world as appreciated and respected through the lens of sacred Indigenous beliefs.
Where Wonder Grows is a powerful and intimate tribute to the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation and the mysteries of nature as appreciated through the nation’s ancestral culture. Encouraging all children to connect with nature in their own backyards, this gorgeous book is set to be a cornerstone family favorite.
*Mestizo: of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry, common in Mexican and Mexican-Americans.
Chelsea Villareal is a Queer Mexican-American Children’s Media Strategist from Portland, Oregon. She holds a BUPA in Political Science & Media Studies from Portland State University and is currently enrolled in her Masters at Columbia University, TC. She works on the Brand Marketing team at Penguin Young Readers and also holds down the role of Program Manager at We Need Diverse Books. She lives in Brooklyn with her partner and two crazy, lazy feline beasts.
