Abuelita's Paradise

A Puerto Rican girl is able to wrap herself in happy memories of her dead grandmother when she receives her abuelita!s rocking chair as a gift. As she rocks, Marita recalls Abuelita's stories about growing up on the lush island-her paradise-rife with sugar cane fields and waterfalls. Nodar's intergenerational story covers much ground without becoming bogged down by the potentially cumbersome nostalgic passages. Spanish terms such as nifiita and sombrero pepper the text (the book is also available in a Spanish language edition) and benefit young readers as a glimpse of another culture. Paterson's loosely-rendered watereolors are reminiscent of Catherine Stock's work. Her predominantly cool palette featuring purples, greens, blues and occasional splashes of sunny yellow brings a loving abuelita and her memories to life. The final pictures portray a cozy, spectral Abuelita embracing my little girl-though this may temporarily disconcert youngsters, her appearance could well lead to interesting discussions. This reassuring work is also to be commended for taking a non-moralistic approach to dealing with the loss of a relative. Ages 5-8. (Sept.)