QUIET TIME WITH MY SEEYA

When it comes to grandparents and their grandchildren, love transcends language.

A child of Sri Lankan descent explains that the time they spend with their seeya (the Sinhalese word for grandfather) is “quiet,” primarily because the two speak different languages. Luckily, the pair’s commonalities more than make up for this difference. Together, they play dress-up, water the flowers in the garden, and cook traditional Sri Lankan food. Things aren’t perfect: Seeya isn’t great at video games, and when the two cook and then eat together, they always make a mess. When each character reads aloud in their own language, it’s clear that neither one understands all of the other’s words. But between riding a bicycle together, playing on the beach, and trading words during show and tell (which ends up being mostly show), they develop a syntax unique to their relationship that ensures nothing is lost in translation and that reflects their deep, abiding love. The book’s pastel palette and textured illustrations perfectly express the cozy, gentle relationship at the heart of this story. The child narrator’s lyrical voice radiates a mischievous, affectionate innocence. The story’s specificity imbues it with an intimate authenticity that immigrant families in particular will appreciate; Dabarera’s author’s note describes her own experience growing up with an immigrant grandparent whose language she didn’t fully understand. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A visually and textually gorgeous story about love in a multilingual family.