Brazilian Immigrant Launches Children’s Book About Saudade

Brazilian immigrant and writer Ana Crespo, born in Rio de Janeiro and residing in Colorado, launched a new children’s book in June titled “Saudade: Our Longing for Brazil,” illustrated by André Ceolin and published by the iconic Neal Porter Books, an imprint of Holiday House.The book follows a Brazilian mother and her American daughter on a walk, during which the girl asks what saudade is. As the mother tells her daughter about all the things she misses—like the scent of her mother or the sea breeze or playing under a jabuticabeira—the girl begins to understand what saudade means. It then becomes her turn to explore all the things she misses as well. Written in English but with some words in Portuguese, the book explores the connection between the immigrant, their descendants, and their country of origin, concluding with the idea that, despite the pain saudade causes, happy moments are always worth it. “I wrote this book during the pandemic, at a time when saudade was stronger than ever,” says the author. She reveals that this book is different from others she has published because it explores memories, making the illustrations more complicated to execute. “I was very happy to see that André was able to portray the characters’ memories in a way that is easy for children to understand,” says Ana, explaining that the illustrator used illustrations of wind to differentiate the pages related to memories from those set in the present time.The book is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, and the publication Kirkus Reviews called it “A poignant exploration of longing and connection.” “Saudade: Our Longing for Brazil” is available in bookstores across the United States. In addition to “Saudade: Our Longing for Brazil,” Ana is the author of eight other children’s books. Although all are in English, many feature Brazilian characters and words in Portuguese included in the text. The twins Lia and Luís, for example, became famous for exploring mathematical issues in their daily lives. Winner of the Mathical Award, the first book, “Lia & Luís: Who Has More?”, shows the two comparing a bag of polvilho cookies and two chicken coxinhas, trying to figure out who has more. In the second book, “Lia & Luís: Puzzled!”, which won the Colorado Book Award in children’s literature last month, the twins assemble a puzzle with a secret message. Ana is also the author of “The Sock Thief: A Soccer Story” (set in Brazil), “Hello, Tree” (about a forest fire), and other titles. Want to know more about Ana Crespo and her books? Visit the webpage: www.anacrespobooks.com or follow the author on social media: FB: @AnaCrespoBooks, Instagram: @AnaCrespoBooks, Twitter: @AnaCrespoBooks