When Lola Visits

Starred review from March 22, 2021
“How do I know summer is here?” asks a brown-skinned girl as she awaits her grandmother’s arrival from the Philippines. From the minute Lola arrives, clad in red spectacles and a light green pangbahay dress, her granddaughter’s world teems with the smells and tastes of Filipino food (“It smells like suman steaming on the stove for afternoon merienda and tiny red chilies spilling into sizzling sisig”) and intimate familial moments (“rolling hundreds of lumpia”). In turn, the narrating child shares quiet self-achievements (“blue silence when I’m finally able to float by myself for the first time ever”) and seasonal activities from her American home, such as harvesting limes and picnicking under Fourth of July fireworks. Asis’s (Soaring Saturdays) unlined illustrations in earthy hues and vibrant greens lend the tale a bright, summery feel. Debut author Sterling blends Filipino traditions with popular U.S. summer activities, creating a tender story celebrating culture shared between generations. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Andrea Morrison, Writers House.

April 15, 2021
A child describes the smells, tastes, and feelings of their summer. "How do I know summer is here?" For the child sharing their story, summer is the smell of stone fruit ripening and days with nothing to do. Summer really begins when their lola comes to visit and makes her special mango jam. Together, grandmother and grandchild play at the pool, go to the beach, and watch fireworks. Lola fills their days with the delicious smells and tastes of traditional Filipino food, like cassava cake and sisig. Summer blooms with happy memories of gathering fruit, fishing, cooking, and eating together. When Lola returns home, summer turns to chilly breezes and falling leaves, but Lola has one more surprise. This is a beautiful, tender expression of family and love that spans generations and great distances. Each moment is described as a smell or taste, which engages all of readers' senses. The illustrations add so much life and context to the words, especially for the Filipino dishes. The bright colors and visible brush strokes add warmth and capture the feelings of summer. The family is Filipino, and all have brown skin, black hair, and black eyes. Lola speaks Tagalog and Ilocano. An extraordinary expression of Filipino culture and intergenerational familial bonds. (Picture book. 4-8)

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April 15, 2021
Grades K-3 *Starred Review* It's easy to tell that it's summer. Not just because Lola is here for her visit, singing gentle songs throughout the house in Tagalog and Ilocano. But because now summer smells of sampaguita soap and dried squid and cassava cake, as well as chlorine and tennis balls and sunscreen. Summer sounds like Fourth of July fireworks and racing scooters but also the sizzling of tiny red chilies in the sisig, while suman steams on the stove, and the unfurling of banana leaves onto the table for kamayan. Summer is full of fishing lines and unexpected rainstorms, and at its end, it's also full of the ache and longing of Lola returning home. This story, written in delicate poetic language, is a glorious celebration of Filipino American experience, which has been underrepresented in children's books. There are context clues aplenty for any language that may be unfamiliar to the reader, including a joyful, sweeping single-word spread that celebrates the Filipino style of eating communally by hand, without plates or utensils. Sterling is clearly devoted to celebrating diversity in children's books (as evident through her blog), and Asis is a Filipino illustrator who represents elements of his culture here through beautiful, visible brushstrokes with vivid color and sweeping texture. This book--much like Lola--is something to visit over and over again.

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May 1, 2021

PreS-Gr 1-Lola isn't just anyone-she's a beloved grandmother, visiting from the Philippines, as she does every summer. In Asis's citrus-colored splashes of line and form and love, the joy of Lola's visit culminates in the Kamayan, with treats spread across bright green banana leaves that act as centerpiece and tablecloth. When the celebration is over and the family takes Lola back to the airport, "Our house is a little grayer without her soft, sweet singing in Tagalog and Ilocano. And the bitter melon tastes extra bitter in tonight's dinner-not like how Lola makes it at all." This book will make readers long for the scents and tastes the narrator describes, and the warmth and happiness of summertime. Whether cooking in the kitchen or cooling by the pool, Lola is the party, and readers are all invited to participate. VERDICT With a smooth flow of new vocabulary and a universal nod to the meaning of family, this will be a storytime favorite.-Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal

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