What would America look like if almost every tradition were brand new?
For eight-year-old Luli, arriving in the United States from Cuba means discovering a world filled with unfamiliar routines, foods, holidays, seasons and customs. In Lourdes Fasani’s books Luli’s First Autumn, Luli’s First Thanksgiving, Luli’s Cafeteria Lunch, Luli’s Sad Farewell and Luli’s First Snowfall, young readers get to experience those discoveries alongside her.
The collection begins from a deeply personal place. In Luli’s Sad Farewell, Luli leaves Marianao, Cuba, with her mother and younger brother. Before there can be new traditions, there is first the pain of leaving old ones behind. She says goodbye to family, loses the chance to bring her favorite doll and watches her mother leave cherished photographs behind at the airport. The journey eventually leads to Chicago, where Luli is reunited with her father after more than two years apart.
Once settled in Illinois, the unfamiliar becomes part of everyday life.
In Luli’s Cafeteria Lunch, even lunch feels like a cultural adventure. Luli has never eaten in a school cafeteria. She is shocked by cold milk and puzzled by broccoli, a vegetable she does not recognize. Her mother helps make the transition easier by sending cocoa for the milk and garlic powder for the broccoli. It is a small moment, but it shows how children can adapt when new experiences are connected to something familiar.
Then comes autumn.
In Luli’s First Autumn, Luli marvels at red, orange and yellow leaves, something she had never seen growing up in Cuba. Halloween is equally new. Pumpkins, jack-o’-lanterns, costumes and a school parade all become part of her introduction to American childhood. Rather than simply observing from the sidelines, Luli begins participating and that participation helps her feel more connected to her new community.
Luli’s First Thanksgiving continues that journey. Luli’s family celebrates the holiday with American neighbors, but the meal is not one-sided. Turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie share the table with Cuban pork roast, congrí, yuca, plantains and flan. What could have been a completely foreign holiday becomes something personal, warm and shared.
And then there is winter.
In Luli’s First Snowfall, she wakes to a white world and thinks the backyard looks as though it has been covered in sugar. Snowy walks to school, Christmas decorations, presents and winter clothing introduce another side of American life. Yet Cuban memories remain close through familiar foods and family traditions.
That is what makes Lourdes Fasani’s books so meaningful.
They do not show America as a place Luli instantly understands. They show her learning it gradually, one meal, holiday, season and school day at a time.
Through Luli’s eyes, readers are reminded that what feels ordinary to one child may feel extraordinary to another. And sometimes, belonging begins simply by being welcomed into something new.
Read the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0FVGJBMBR/allbooks