I just picked up a Katherine Tegen Book by author Michelle Sterling and illustrator Aaron Asis, When Lola Visits, and fell in love with the whimsical illustrations and equally as whimsical text. This picture book gives us a common theme of summer, but through the lens of Filipino culture. The way Sterling captures the essence of summer through the senses is palpable. We feel summer in its bounty of ripe fruit and the main character’s baby brother who the author describes is, “like trouble brewing on a day of absolutely nothing to do…”
Even if many of us did not have a grandmother who could simmer mango jam on the stove or who uses sampaguita soap, the memories are familiar. On page 5, the pattern on the grandmother’s dress sparkles like stars.
It validates the idea that the more specific a writer is in its telling of every detail, the more universal the story. In When Lola Visits, we appreciate all the nuances that makes this story standout-the “tumble of dried squid,” and “cassava cake.” It makes the story fresh and new for those of us who have never experienced it.
Even thinking of summer as, “a freshly opened can of tennis balls to bounce against the side of the house,” feels so true. Yet, I would never have thought of describing summer this way. How many summers have I and my own kids bounced tennis balls against the walls on a hot afternoon?
Yet, after reading it, we are hit with that same sense of home that we felt when spending time with a relative who visits and the longing we feel when they are gone.
We also get a glimpse of the main character’s American culture, which is symbolized with the fireworks lit on the fourth of July.
This is an inspiring mentor text for writers who want to add more vibrance to their story with sensory details and also for parents looking for stories about culture and relationships with their faraway relatives. It is a great summer picture book that is unique, that heralds the end of another season with loss, grief and longing, and prepares us for another one in, “freshly sharpened pencils, a stiff new backpack, and the last sweet bits of summer.”
Beautifully written and illustrated.
