Tía Fortuna's New Home: A Jewish Cuban Journey
By Regan McMahon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Family memories ease the pain of moving in sweet tale.
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What's the Story?
In TÍA FORTUNA'S NEW HOME: A JEWISH CUBAN JOURNEY, young Estrella visits her aunt, Tia Fortuna, at her casita on the Seaway in Miami on the day she's moving out to home for the elderly, la Casa de Viellos. As they visit the beach and bake borekas (baked pastry pies popular in Sephardic Jewish cuisine that are similar to empanadas), Tia Fortuna's memories come pouring out. She recalls leaving Havana many years ago to immigrate to the United States. And she recalls the journeys of her ancestors from Spain to Turkey to Cuba and then Miami. Estrella looks at Tía Fortuna's tiny suitcase and asks, "Is that all you're bringing?" "I don't need much," Tía Fortuna replies. "I have so many memories in my suitcase right here," she says, pointing to her head. Then she takes her "good luck mezuzah" from outside her door, and when she gets to her new place, Estrella helps her nail it to her new doorpost.
Is It Any Good?
This warm, beautifully illustrated story shows how an immigrant auntie keeps memories of home and family alive through food and storytelling. Tía Fortuna's New Home: A Jewish Cuban Journey celebrates Sephardic Jewish and Cuban heritage, with many Spanish words and phrases woven into the story, along with some Yiddish, Arabic, Hebrew, and more. The helpful glossary at the back adds to kids' understanding. And an extensive author's note explains the history of Serphardic Jews who were driven out of Spain in 1492 and forced to find new homes in other countries, "but never forgot their Spanish ancestry." The after the Cuban revolution in 1959, Sephardic Jews who had moved to Cuba lost their jobs and migrated to Miami.
Author Ruth Behar reveals in her note, "I am a child of two Jewish civilizations -- Ashkenazi on my mother's side, inheriting powerful Yiddish traditions, and Sephardic on my father's side. ... Like Estrella, I picked up bits and pieces of a Sephardic heritage and was fascinated by by the resilience of the culture that was being passed on to me."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the immigration story in Tía Fortuna's New Home: A Jewish Cuban Journey. Does anyone in your family have a story about coming to where you live?
Why is food from back home important to those who are making a new life in a new place? What food would you miss if you moved away from where you live now?
Tía Fortuna says, "We come from people who found hope wherever they went." How is hope a big part of immigration?
Book Details
- Author: Ruth Behar
- Illustrator: Devon Holzwarth
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Great Girl Role Models
- Character Strengths: Communication , Curiosity , Perseverance
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
- Publication date: January 25, 2022
- Number of pages: 32
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Awards: ALA Best and Notable Books , Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: January 30, 2023
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