Readers join Elena and Miguel as they navigate the changes brought about by their parents’ divorce. Living in two separate homes—Mami’s during the week and Papi’s on weekends—Elena and Miguel initially struggle with feelings of loss and fragmentation. Despite these initial challenges, Elena and Miguel gradually find moments of comfort and connection in their new routines. While the pancakes Papi makes may not taste exactly like Mami’s, they still bring a sense of warmth and familiarity. And at birthday parties surrounded by relatives and cousins, they rediscover the joy of family bonds.
Through its bilingual narrative, “Elena and Miguel’s Two Homes / Las Dos Casas de Elena y Miguel” sensitively explores the challenges of divorce and the importance of maintaining connections with extended family. It offers young readers a message of resilience, adaptation, and the enduring power of familial love to transcend changes in living arrangements.
- ISBN: 9781558859906
- Author: Diane De Anda
- Illustrator: Roberta Collier-Morales
- Translator: Gabriela Baeza Ventura
- Published: April 9, 2024, Pinata Books
- Themes: Bilingual, Brother and sister, Divorce, English-Spanish, Family, family traditions, Siblings
- Descriptors: Bilingual, Latinx in US, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9), Realistic Fiction, United States
- No. of pages: 32