My Two Border Towns

Starred review from June 21, 2021
“Every other Saturday,” this story’s child narrator and his father, who reside in the U.S., set out for the Mexican side of the border near where they live. Meza (Balloons for Papa) pours artistry into mixed-media images of the towns, which mirror each other across the river—“a watery serpent that glints with the dawn,” writes Bowles (Rise of the Halfling King), making his picture book debut. The two show their documents and cross the boundary into the town, brought to life visually with sunny shades of yellow, brick red, and magenta. They make stops at the boy’s aunt and uncle’s jewelry shop, at a grocery for snacks, a doctor’s office for medication, then take much of what they’ve gathered to a family who is camping along the border bridge: “Refugees... Stuck between countries. The U.S. says there’s no room, and Mexico says it can hardly look after its own gente.” Acknowledging their own “duty to care for our gente,” and the “cards that give us the freedom/ to travel back and forth,” the father and son look forward—with warmth and care—to a “wonderful day,” when passage between the border towns isn’t limited. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Taylor Martindale Kean, Full Circle Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Claire Cartey, Holroyde Cartey.

Starred review from August 1, 2021
Grades K-2 *Starred Review* A father and son wake up early to drive across the U.S. border, into Mexico, and to a small town much like their own. A routine they take part in every other Saturday, this trip gives them time together as they enjoy breakfast and run errands, visiting family along the way. The little boy brings along some of his favorite things--comics, notebooks, and more--and he and his father buy additional supplies. As they return across the border and into southern Texas, readers discover that there is another, more important purpose to their trip: the supplies are for a little boy named �lder and his family, refugees who aren't allowed into the U.S. and who must wait, their future uncertain. Meza's lovely watercolor-and-gouache illustrations bring to life the bustling activity in each of these border towns. Spanish words seamlessly flow through the largely English text, which gracefully details the trip in a way that is perfect for sharing with little ones, with many readers likely to spot familiar sights, sounds, and phrases. Characters' friendly greetings, the vibrant illustrations, and the thoughtful actions of this father and son come together to create a feeling of warmth and hope, while also bringing to the forefront the plight of so many like �lder and his family. An excellent addition to picture-book collections.

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Starred review from July 1, 2021
A sleepy boy is nudged awake by his father for a routine Saturday trip, heading across the U.S.-Mexico border to "el Otro Lado." As they reach the Rio Grande, the father reminds his son of the Indigenous history of the land, now divided, the flag of each nation visible on opposite banks of the broad river. Once across, father and son visit their favorite restoran for breakfast; then, with mercado bags in hand, begin their errands, stopping by brightly colored shops (such as Tio Mateo's jewelry store) and picking up prescriptions, bottled water, T-shirts, sweets, and other items on their list. The trip culminates in a visit to their "gente" -- families camping out on the side of the bridge, hoping to enter the U.S. -- for whom most of the items on their list were purchased. Meza's gleaming watercolor and gouache illustrations magnify Bowles's bittersweet tone, capturing the compassion in the pair's venture and the underlying tension at the border in the expressions of soldiers and refugees. Spanglish ("troca"; "my primos") and shop signs in Spanish and English emphasize how culturally interconnected border towns are. With lyrical text (the Rio Grande is "a watery serpent that glints with the dawn"), Novelist Bowles's picture-book debut weaves weightier realities into a story of ordinary border-town life, and does so with a gentle hand. Waving goodbye to their friends, the father and son return home as the sunset washes the scenery with warm pinks, leaving no doubt that the dedicated pair will carry on their duty as long as the hopeful migrants wait. Concurrently published in Spanish as Mis dos pueblos fronterizos. Jessica Agudelo

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from July 15, 2021
A father and son run errands across the U.S.-Mexico border. Early on Saturday, the boy (who's never named) prepares his "special bag" to bring to Mexico for his friends. Crossing from Texas to Tamaulipas, the duo drives across town and over the bridge into a twin town where Spanish is just as frequently heard, but English is spoken less. Before tackling their errands, father and son stop to fuel up with caf� de olla and chocolate caliente, respectively. They visit the jewelry shop, gather groceries and supplies at the abarrotes, play soccer with cousins, and pick up medicine at the pharmacy. On their way back home to the United States, the protagonist encounters his friends at the bridge: displaced people from the Caribbean and Central America living in limbo on the border between two towns and two countries. Taking advantage of the slow pace of the traffic on the bridge, the boy exits his father's truck, bringing the gathered supplies and toys to those in wait. In what initially comes across as a story of a sweet visit to a Mexican town to run some errands, Bowles seamlessly weaves in some of the complexities of living on the border. He fearlessly introduces the complex issues surrounding the presence of refugees waiting to be admitted into the United States and candidly portrays the everyday lives of families who span the border, creating a unique cosmos in this space. Meza's background illustrations around town imbue the pages with Mexico's vibrance. Bowles translates his own text into Spanish in a simultaneously publishing edition. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Beautiful, honest, complex. (Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2021
A sleepy boy is nudged awake by his father for a routine Saturday trip, heading across the U.S.-Mexico border to "el Otro Lado." As they reach the Rio Grande, the father reminds his son of the Indigenous history of the land, now divided, the flag of each nation visible on opposite banks of the broad river. Once across, father and son visit their favorite restoran for breakfast; then, with mercado bags in hand, begin their errands, stopping by brightly colored shops (such as Tio Mateo's jewelry store) and picking up prescriptions, bottled water, T-shirts, sweets, and other items on their list. The trip culminates in a visit to their "gente" -- families camping out on the side of the bridge, hoping to enter the U.S. -- for whom most of the items on their list were purchased. Meza's gleaming watercolor and gouache illustrations magnify Bowles's bittersweet tone, capturing the compassion in the pair's venture and the underlying tension at the border in the expressions of soldiers and refugees. Spanglish ("troca"; "my primos") and shop signs in Spanish and English emphasize how culturally interconnected border towns are. With lyrical text (the Rio Grande is "a watery serpent that glints with the dawn"), Novelist Bowles's picture-book debut weaves weightier realities into a story of ordinary border-town life, and does so with a gentle hand. Waving goodbye to their friends, the father and son return home as the sunset washes the scenery with warm pinks, leaving no doubt that the dedicated pair will carry on their duty as long as the hopeful migrants wait. Concurrently published in Spanish as Mis dos pueblos fronterizos.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)