Before returning to the city with her parents, a young girl walks with her grandmother, learning about the special feelings, places, and plants that are part of her heritage and the Southwestern desert where Abuelita lives Kindergarten-Grade 3. In this peaceful story of the southwestern desert, a young girl visits her abuelita (grandmother). The two share a happiness meal?pinto bean and green-chile soup, the recipe for which follows the text. Next, the girl and her grandmother take a desert walk, and the woman teaches her about the local plants and animals, as well as the importance of the desert in their family history. Spanish phrases appear frequently, followed by contextual translations: "Hola perrita, mi amigita. Hello little dog, my dear friend." The lovely acrylic, oil, and pencil folk-art illustrations accentuate the dreamy quality of the narrative. A fine choice for lap sharing.?Denise E. Agosto, Midland County Public Library, TX Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. Ages 5^-8. The young narrator enjoys her visits to the Southwest, where Abuelita, her grandmother, lives. Abuelita says, "The earth is enchanted here," and as she points out the healing herbs and the stars in the sky and takes her granddaughter to the Cave of the Heart, the girl connects with the land as well as with family, seen and unseen, who are guiding her. "It is by reaching out to one another that we . . . create something beautiful to last through the ages." The story's mystical mood is juxtaposed with strong, primitive-style paintings that are bold in their depiction of the land and the flora and fauna that inhabit it. Toward the end of the book, the artwork turns transcendental as well, swirling hearts and people and animals into one interlinking web of life. Cordova is of Hispanic and Native American ancestry, and both of these heritages are reflected in the images and symbols that appear in the art. An affective offering to which many children will intuitively respond. Ilene Cooper Used Book in Good Condition