The River Is My Ocean

by Rio Cortez, Ashleigh Corrin (illustrator)

A grandmother and granddaughter share a magical trip to the Hudson River affirming intergenerational love and the power of water in this heart-song of a picture book.Every day, Abuela misses the ocean in Puerto Rico. But on Saturdays, when the sun is high, Abuela takes her granddaughter on a walk down the hill in Harlem to Twelfth Avenue, to a place that is just as the Hudson River. There, they visit Yamaya, mermaids that invoke child-like wonder and hold onto the memory of all who have passed through their waters. Together, Abuela, her granddaughter, and the spirits of ancient religion and familial love celebrate the river that brought millions of new Americans to its shores through the generations.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Fiction, Hispanic, Spanish Literature, Childrens, Latinx

32 pages, Hardcover

Published August 27, 2024

About the author

Rio Cortez is the New York Times bestselling author of picture books The ABCs of Black History (Workman, 2020) and The River Is My Sea (S&S, 2024). Her debut poetry collection, Golden Ax, is forthcoming from Penguin Poets this August, 2022.

Reviews

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this intergenerational tale, a girl and her abuela take their usual Saturday walk through their bustling neighborhood in New York City to the park along the Hudson River, where they enjoy the calming influence of the water, together time, and the magical feeling of Yemaya’s presence, a powerful goddess representing motherhood, rivers, and the oceans. Colorful illustrations evoke the child’s exuberance and the joy of spending precious time with a cherished relative. The Author’s Note contains more information about Yemaya and traditional ways of honoring this revered Yoruban goddess of West Africa.

[Gema · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll never see the Hudson River the same way after reading this book. La abuela loves the ocean through the image of Yemayá and uses that same image to learn to love the Hudson River, giving it a deeper, more spiritual meaning and passing this powerful vision down to her granddaughter.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

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