Edie Colon

Author Edie Colón joins forces with her husband, illustrator Raúl Colón, in this poignant picture-book memoir of her childhood experiences leaving Cuba and emigrating to New York. The narrative follows Gabriella (AKA Edie) as she leaves her beloved grandparents behind, shortly after the events of the Cuban Revolution have robbed her family of their restaurant, and joins her parents in the Bronx. Here she must contend with a different world: a different home, a different climate, a different school, a different language. Fortunately, the love of her parents and her grandparents, who eventually make it to New York as well, eases her transition into this new life...

Given that the story here is Edie's own - she mentions consulting with her parents in order to get her facts straight in her afterword - I was a little puzzled that Goodbye, Havana! Hola, New York! is told from the perspective of fictional Gabriella. Colón mentions needing some distance from her subject matter, but it still struck me as odd, since nothing else about the story is fictionalized. Leaving that aside, this was a poignant story of family and immigration, and a gentle introduction to the subject of the Cuban Revolution and how it effected people. As could be expected, the accompanying artwork from Raúl Colón was absolutely gorgeous, beautifully capturing the emotional register of each scene. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about being immigrant and/or addressing the Cuban Revolution.… (mere)