Decir adiós en cubano

Gr 5 Up–Picture book creator Miyares presents a stirring graphic memoir about the childhood journey of his father, Carlos, from his native Cuba to Miami after Fidel Castro’s 1959 takeover of the Caribbean island. The book alternates between pages of colorful illustrations depicting Carlos’s childhood and his relationships with family and friends and single-page snippets of historical context narrating the events of the Cuban Revolution. Families in Carlos’s town begin to take sides, and when the Communist party takes over his family’s farm and business, his parents decide to escape to the United States. Carlos watches as people who speak against the new government are taken away. His father leaves Cuba first, to prepare a place for this family, but the boy only understands that his father has abandoned them. Once reunited, the family makes a harrowing boat journey to the States. Miyares captures the heartbreak of leaving behind everything you know to begin again in a new country. The narrative and illustrations depict Carlos’s confusion over the historical events but also how these monumental changes impacted the boy’s day-to-day life. This Spanish-language edition of the graphic novel is infused with Cuban culture and language, including regional slang, syntax, and onomatopoeic expressions. The pencil and watercolorlike art gives the work a nostalgic impression. The author’s note, sprinkled with family photos, shares how this work was inspired by conversations he had with his father.