SOMETHING HAPPENED TO MY DAD

A well-researched, deeply affecting picture book examines deportation and its effects on communities and immigrant families.

Carmen, a young girl, and her mother were born in the United States, but her father, a magician, is from Mexico and doesn't have documentation to stay in the U.S. Mamá asks Carmen to keep the situation a secret—“I don't want people to look down on us”—but when word spreads at Carmen’s school, a collection is taken up to help her family pay for an immigration lawyer. Wisely, the book broadens the narrative scope to briefly acknowledge other family histories involving displacement—readers learn about Irish immigration, Syrian refugees, and enslaved Africans. Though the story never wallows in pain—even a visit to Papi's detention center is portrayed warmly as he declares “I'm not embarrassed. We’ve built a beautiful life”—it doesn't shy away from the realities of immigrant struggle, as evinced by the open ending. The comprehensive backmatter includes a glossary of Spanish terms used in the story, immigration data, a discussion guide for parents and educators, tips for cultural sensitivity when interacting with immigrant families, and more. Papi has straight hair and medium brown skin while Mamá and Carmen have comparatively darker skin and read as Afro-Latina. Background characters, one of whom uses a wheelchair, are diverse in age and skin tone. The simultaneously publishing Spanish edition is a solid translation and identical in content. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An important, empathetic, and well-told immigration story that strikes a hopeful note of resilience.