OUR GREATEST GIFT

This import, translated from Spanish, enumerates the plethora of ways that elders enrich the lives of the children in their families.

Presented in the first-person plural and addressed to beloved caregivers, the narrated list runs adulatory. “You’ve shown us that home / is where your family is. // …And every night, you’ve opened the gateway to our / dreams with all the wonderful stories you’ve told us.” At times, it dips into specificity: “There hasn’t been a single day when we’ve been without hugs / at home or delicious cookies in the kitchen. // …You’ve done a great job pretending not to know who we are / when we come to see you in our Halloween costumes.” “For all these reasons,” the volume ends with a new list: 10 promises to which “the undersigned” agree, including giving “millions of hugs every day” and watching shooting stars and sunsets together. Last is the promise to “give you this book.” Ferrándiz’s palette ranges from the indigo of starry night skies to warm reds for clothing, a stage curtain, and the bark and leaves of trees entwined to form a heart; pastel tints tie the spreads together. The visual focus is on presumed grandparents and grandchildren, with varied skin colors, hair textures, and facial features suggesting a diversity of families. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A warmhearted intergenerational read-aloud, calibrated for gifting.