Suitabook

When Christmas feels like home

Gretchen Griffith

Reading: Pause over the Spanish words and the story’s images, then invite the child to notice how family traditions connect Eduardo’s experiences in Mexico and the United States.
Themes: Finding a sense of home: After moving from Mexico to the United States, Eduardo doubts the new town will feel like home. His family connects that hope with Christmas and their shared traditions. The story links adjustment with family traditions and presents home as something Eduardo may come to feel in his new surroundings.
Language and difference: The other children do not speak Eduardo’s language or play fútbol, and the story includes Spanish vocabulary. Language and shared play shape Eduardo’s early experience as he adjusts to the new town.
Worth knowing: Eduardo initially feels that the new town may never be home, and the other children do not share his language or fútbol. This gives the story a clear focus on the unsettled feelings that can accompany a move.