Written by Mitali Perkins
Illustrated by Sara Palacios
Reviewed by Allison Johnson 

Think of the last time you were reunited with a long, lost loved one. Had it been a few weeks or several years? Did you meet at a coffee shop or on a street corner? The circumstances don’t matter. To be reunited with those we love, is truly a remarkable feeling that is not subject to nationality, race, or gender.

In a time of deep political divide and hostility towards immigrants, Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border by Mitali Perkins illustrates the joy and love of a family who overcome the barriers that separate them. This story follows two young children and their mother as they visit the U.S./Mexico border to see their Abuela, or grandmother, who they’ve been a part from for five years. Although a work of fiction, Between Us and Abuela is based on a single day of the year where the U.S. and Mexico collaborate to allow families from either side of the border to celebrate the Mexican holiday of Las Posadas with each other.

This story highlights the difficulties faced by immigrants and their families, which is symbolized by the large barrier between the children and their Abuela as they exchange stories and news in the 30 minutes allotted to them by border patrol agents. The struggle of the people at the border, however, is far from the story’s focus. It is the pure love and joy, not the border, between these families in Perkins’ story that create such an important message for readers both young and old. Too often the characters depicted in this book are referred simply as immigrants, when they should be referred to as humans. Between Us and Abuela is not a story about immigrants, but a story of celebrating the joy we as humans, all humans, no matter the circumstances, feel when we are united with those we love.