Abuela loves her granddaughter Nina from the moment she is born. The two are often together, making up songs, people-watching in the park, and creating papel picado banners. Abuela secretly begins to save 20 pesos every week so that she can buy a gift for Nina. Years pass. Life gets harder in Mexico and Abuela has no extra money to save. Nina starts spending more time with friends. When the government changes the money, and everyone must turn in their old pesos for new ones, Abuela can’t remember where she put the pesos she saved long ago. One day Nina stops by and, as a surprise, cleans Abuela’s kitchen, discovering the old pesos hidden atop the refrigerator. They’re now worthless, but Nina and Abuela decide to make papel picado banners out of the old bills. Though their world has changed, and they have, too, the love between them remains strong. Muted mixed-media illustrations include details of Abuela’s home and neighborhood, and a family resemblance across generations. (Ages 4–8)

In her first book for children, Cecilia Ruiz illuminates how things can change — and the importance of holding on to our dearest relationships when they do.

The first time Abuela holds Nina, her heart overflows with tenderness. And as Nina grows up, she and Abuela spend plenty of time together. Abuela can’t help thinking how much she’d like to give Nina a very special treat, so she saves a little bit of her money every week — a few pesos here, a few pesos there. When the world turns upside down, Abuela’s dream of a surprise for Nina seems impossible. Luckily, time spent together — and the love Abuela and Nina have for each other — could turn out to be the very best gift of all. With a soft and subtle hand, author-illustrator Cecilia Ruiz draws from her own history to share a deeply personal tale about remembering what’s most important when life starts to get in the way.