Celebrate the special connection between father and daughter in this gorgeously evocative picture book, recounting the year a little girl and her mother spend in America while waiting for her father to join them from the Philippines. From acclaimed author Michelle Sterling and illustrator Sarah Gonzales, a poignant story perfect for fans of Joanna Ho, Linda Sue Park, and Matt De La Peña.
New country, new school, new friends.
A lot can happen in a single year. But one thing’s for certain: Maribel won’t forget her Papa, even when he’s 8,000 miles away in the Philippines.
After all, Papa is all around. He is the memory of feeding koi fish in their pond every morning. He is the constellation map as Maribel dreams of showing him her new world. He is the packages and letters sent back and forth.
He is everywhere except the place he’s wanted the most. But the bond between Maribel and Papa transcends oceans. So as the snow melts and turns to rain, as flowers blossom and welcome sun-kissed days, and as the leaves start to change and snow begins to fall once more, can Maribel wait just a little bit longer?
Recommended for ages 4 - 8
Maribel's Year by Michelle Sterling (Hardback)
Michelle Sterling is a children’s book author, photographer and speech-language pathologist living in Orange County, California. Many of her stories are inspired by her heritage, family traditions, and her love of gastronomy and food history. When Lola Visits, Michelle’s first picture book illustrated by Aaron Asis, received four starred reviews, was an ALA Notable Children’s Book of the Year, Kirkus Best of the Year, NYPL Best of the Year, Bank Street Best of the Year, BookPage Best of the Year and more. A Sweet New Year for Ren, published by Simon & Schuster in 2022, was illustrated by Dung Ho, NYT Bestselling illustrator of Eyes that Kiss in the Corners. It includes a recipe for pineapple cakes and received wonderful reviews from SLJ, Booklist, Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. Michelle’s most recent book Maribel’s Year was illustrated by Sarah Gonzales and published by HarperCollins in May 2023, and has so far received a starred review from Kirkus and lovely reviews from Publishers Weekly and The Horn Book.
“Sterling’s descriptive writing uses all five senses to evoke American and Philippine culture . . . Paired with sumptuous illustrations of the changing seasons and family life by Filipino Canadian artist Sarah Gonzalez, these sensations come alive on every page.” — NPR Books
Illustrated by: Sarah Gonzales
Format: Hardback 40 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Imprint: Katherine Tegen Books
ISBN: 9780063114357
Published: 20 Jul 2023
Weight: 448g
Dimensions: 237 x 262 x 12 (mm)