A Thousand White Butterflies [Hardcover]

As if being new to the United States wasn't hard enough, Isabella's first day of school is canceled due to snow!

Isabella has recently arrived from Colombia with her mother and abuela. She misses Papa, who is still in South America. It's her first day of school, her make-new-friends day, but when classes are canceled because of too much snow, Isabella misses warm, green, Colombia more than ever. Then Isabella meets Katie and finds out that making friends in the cold is easier than she thought!♦ Isabella is excited for her first day of school in a new country, because she knows it means making new friends. She misses those she left behind in Colombia, not to mention her father, who is waiting for permission to join Isabella, her mother, and her grandmother in the U.S. On the much-anticipated day, Isabella wakes up early only to be confronted by snow blanketing the ground and fluttering through the air like butterflies. When she learns that school is canceled, she is heartbroken. As she sits by the window, Isabella sees a young girl fall in the snow. Isabella quickly puts on her coat and boots and runs outside, where she finds the girl is actually making a snow angel. The girl invites Isabella to join her. “I don’t know all her words,” Isabella narrates, “but I understand enough.” She happily flops onto the snow and helps her new friend build a snowman, complete with sombrero vueltiao and rauna (poncho). Drawing upon Betancourt-Perez’s immigration experience, this story contains many of the emotions children may feel when settling into life in a new country. Instead of portraying Spanish as a linguistic barrier for Isabella, the cheerful illustrations (created with crayon, acrylic paint, and Photoshop) show how the girls’ fun transcends this difference. A glossary of Spanish words and an author’s note further enrich this hel#$