Where Wonder Grows

Pura Belpré Illustrator Award, American Library Association (ALA)
ALA/ALSC Notable Children's Books, American Library Association (ALA)
Best Books, Kirkus Reviews
Best Books of the Year, Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature
Skipping Stones Honor Award, Skipping Stones Magazine
Bookstagang Best Books of the Year, Bookstagang

A 2023 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Winner

From the creators of the award-winning picture book All Around Us comes another lyrical intergenerational story exploring our connections to nature, family, and traditions.

When Grandma walks to her special garden, her granddaughters know to follow her there. Grandma invites the girls to explore her collection of treasures--magical rocks, crystals, seashells, and meteorites--to see what wonders they reveal. "They are alive with wisdom," Grandma says. As her granddaughters look closely, the treasures spark the girls' imaginations. They find stories in the strength of rocks shaped by volcanoes, the cleansing power of beautiful crystals, the mystery of the sea that houses shells and shapes the environment, and the long journey meteorites took to find their way to Earth. This is the power of Grandma's special garden, where wonder grows and stories blossom.

Xelena González is a storyteller, a screenwriter, a poet, and an author of picture books. Her storytelling skills were honed as a children's librarian in San Antonio, Texas, and in an international school in Guangzhou, China. As a visiting author, she has introduced her method of "tai chi storytelling" to more than sixty schools and libraries around the United States. She is a member of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation and still lives in San Antonio, where she grew up. You can find out more about González and her work at https: //www.xelena.space/.

Adriana M. Garcia is a visual artist, a muralist, and an illustrator. She is the recipient of a Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Honor for her debut picture book, All Around Us by Xelena González. Garcia has exhibited her artwork nationally and has presented at conferences, schools, and museums around the United States. She especially loves painting portraits of strong women to honor those who have come before and those who continue to lead by example. Garcia lives in San Antonio, Texas, and you can find her online at adrianamjgarcia.com.