Tía Fortuna’s New Home

A Jewish Cuban Journey

Ruth Behar ∙ Illustrated by Devon Holzwarth

Hardcover

Published on Jan 25, 2022 | 32 Pages

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Ebook

Published on Jan 25, 2022 | 32 Pages

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Audiobook Download

Published on Jan 25, 2022 | 0 Hours 16 Minutes

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Grades Preschool – 3
Ages 4–8

A poignant multicultural ode to family and what it means to create a home as one girl helps her Tía move away from her beloved Miami apartment.

When Estrella’s Tía Fortuna has to say goodbye to her longtime Miami apartment building, The Seaway, to move to an assisted living community, Estrella spends the day with her. Tía explains the significance of her most important possessions from both her Cuban and Jewish culture, as they learn to say goodbye together and explore a new beginning for Tía.

A lyrical book about tradition, culture, and togetherness, Tía Fortuna’s New Home explores Tía and Estrella’s Sephardic Jewish and Cuban heritage. Through Tía’s journey, Estrella will learn that as long as you have your family, home is truly where the heart is.

NAMED A SYDNEY TAYLOR NOTABLE BOOK

★ "[A] beautiful story about heritage and hope… and remarkable in every way." —School Library Journal, starred review

★ "A nostalgic glimpse at a little-known but rich culture within the broader Jewish American community." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“A beautiful tribute to home, family, and traditions.” —Margarita Engle, Pura Belpré Award–winning and Newbery Honor–winning author

"Overflowing with warmth, hope and poetry, Tía Fortuna’s New Home is a beautiful celebration of culture, intergenerational love, and the sanctity of home, both old and new." —Matt de la Pena, Newbery winning author of Last Stop on Market Street

“Good fortune to the readers of this wise tale.” —Sandra Cisneros, author of Hairs/Pelitos

“A beautiful and heartful reminder that home is not merely where we live, but rather, everything that lives within us.” —Richard Blanco, 2013 Presidential Inaugural Poet, author of How to Love a Country

"A radiant gem where the ancient past and future encounter one another with a welcoming hope." —Marjorie Agosin, author of I Lived on Butterfly Hill

ISBN 9780593172414 (Hardcover)
Published on Jan 25, 2022
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages 32
Dimensions 8-1/2 x 11
Age Range 4-8 years
Grade Preschool - 3
Reading Level Lexile: AD590L | Fountas/Pinnell: R

ISBN 9780593172421 (Hardcover Library Binding)
Published on Jan 25, 2022
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages 32
Dimensions 8-1/2 x 11
Age Range 4-8 years
Grade Preschool - 3
Reading Level Lexile: AD590L | Fountas/Pinnell: R

ISBN 9780593172438 (Ebook)
Published on Jan 25, 2022
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages 32
Age Range 4-8 years
Grade Preschool - 3
Reading Level Lexile: AD590L | Fountas/Pinnell: R

ISBN 9780593505359 (Audiobook Download)
Published on Jan 25, 2022
Published by Listening Library
Age Range 4-8 years
Grade Preschool - 3
Reading Level Lexile: AD590L | Fountas/Pinnell: R

Ruth Behar

Ruth Behar, the Pura Belpré Award–winning author of Lucky Broken Girl, was born in Havana, Cuba, grew up in New York, and has also lived in Spain and Mexico. In addition to writing for young people, her work includes poetry, memoir, and the acclaimed travel books An Island Called Home and Traveling Heavy, which explore her return journeys to Cuba and her search for home. She was the first Latina to win a MacArthur “Genius” Grant, and other honors include a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, and being named a “Great Immigrant” by the Carnegie Corporation. She is an anthropology professor at the University of Michigan and lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Gabriel Frye-Behar is a Brooklyn-based writer, filmmaker and photographer. He has a BFA in Film & TV Production from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. He currently teaches in the Drama Department at NYU/Tisch. This is his first picture book and he and his wife can’t wait to share it with their own lovely pepita and bebita.

Devon Holzwarth

DEVON HOLZWARTH is a picture book illustrator, author and painter. Devon earned her BFA in 2000 from the Rhode Island School of Design focusing on screen printing and painting. She is the author-illustrator of Found You as well as Sophie’s Stories, winner of a Society of Illustrators gold medal award. She has illustrated a number of other picture books, including Everywhere With You; The Story of a Book; Papa, Daddy, and Riley; All that is You; A Flicker of Hope; Not Far From Here; and Tia Fortuna’s New Home. Devon received a Schneider Family Book Award for her illustration work in Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion. Devon grew up in Panama surrounded by nature and her dad’s art supplies.