Brazilian Immigrant Releases Children’s Book About “Saudade”

Brazilian immigrant and writer Ana Crespo, born in Rio de Janeiro and currently residing in Colorado, launched a new children’s book titled “Saudade: Our Longing for Brazil,” illustrated by André Ceolin and published by the iconic Neal Porter Books, an imprint of Holiday House.

The book follows a Brazilian mother and her American daughter on a journey, where the girl asks what “saudade” means. As the mother tells her daughter about the things she longs for—such as the scent of her mother, the sea breeze, or playing under a ‘jabuticaba’ tree—the girl begins to understand the meaning of “saudade.” It’s then her turn to explore the things she also misses. Written in English with some Portuguese words, the book explores the connection between immigrants, their descendants, and their country of origin, concluding with the idea that despite the pain of “saudade,” happy moments are always worth it.

“I wrote this book during the pandemic, at a time when ‘saudade’ was stronger than ever,” the author says. She reveals that this book is different from others she has published because it explores memories, which made the illustrations more challenging to execute. “I was very happy to see that André managed to portray the characters’ memories in a way that is easy for children to understand,” says Ana, explaining that the illustrator used wind illustrations to differentiate between the pages depicting memories and those set in the present.

The book is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, and Kirkus Reviews called it “A touching exploration of longing and connection.” “Saudade: Our Longing for Brazil” is available in bookstores across the United States.

In addition to “Saudade: Our Longing for Brazil,” Ana is the author of eight other children’s books. Although all are in English, many feature Brazilian characters and include Portuguese words in the text. For instance, twins Lia and Luís became famous for exploring mathematical concepts in their daily lives. The Mathical Award-winning first book, “Lia & Luís: Who Has More?” shows the two comparing a bag of “biscoitos de polvilho” and two “coxinhas de galinha,” trying to figure out who has more. In the second book, “Lia & Luís: Puzzled!”, which recently won the Colorado Book Award in children’s literature, the twins solve a puzzle with a secret message. Ana is also the author of “The Sock Thief: A Soccer Story” (set in Brazil), “Hello, Tree” (about a forest fire), and other titles.

Want to learn more about Ana Crespo and her books? Visit her webpage: www.anacrespobooks.com or follow the author on social media: FB: @AnaCrespoBooks, Instagram: @AnaCrespoBooks, Twitter: @AnaCrespoBooks